Admiration
by akihiko-senpai
Summary: When Lillian finally gathers the courage to confess to Cam, she is devastated by his mysterious but clear rejection. It's in her friend Ash that she finds comfort, and he finds something more. As seasons pass the three young adults begin to learn a great deal about their feelings for each other.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This is the first Tale of Two Towns fic I've ever written! I adore this cast of characters very much, and I'm looking forward to fleshing them out a bit more. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it._

* * *

"_At night I dream that you and I are two plants that grew together, roots entwined, and that you know the earth and the rain like my mouth, since we are made of earth and rain."_

_Rain (Rapa Nui) – Pablo Neruda_

* * *

_The energy of autumn was dwindling, the flower petals drooping and the tree leaves darkening. Lillian felt the same sort of lifeless despondency in her as she watched the town swell towards its death. Winter would bring the gorgeous town to quite a blasé standstill. It would be her first time seeing Bluebell in such a state. Her footsteps echoed throughout the empty town square. Almost everyone had closed up their shops due to the intermittent rain, but she knew one boy would be standing with an umbrella propped against his stand, tending to the remnants of autumn's flowers._

_ Cam was intricately putting together a rather stunning bouquet of gerberas and nadeshikos, tying the collection together with a simple white strip of lace. His eyes did not move to her when he saw her approaching, but when Lillian finally came to rest before his stand, he held the bouquet out with a timid smile._

_ "You can keep this. All of the flowers will be dead once winter finally comes around, and nobody seems to want to buy any of the last of my flowers. I've had a lot of free time today." Their fingertips brushed against each others as the bouquet was passed into the eager hands of Lillian, who smiled at him in thanks. The fact that Cam's words came to her so easily now were a great comfort, as she had spent the past three seasons coaxing him into full-fledged conversations rather than stunted hellos and goodbyes._

_ Their relationship had truly deepened into a respectable friendship. Lillian had come to Cam on that day, however, to move it to something even more._

_ "It's lovely. I don't see why more people wouldn't want to buy them, especially since they're on discount now," she told the florist, bringing the bouquet to her nose. The flowers smell was rich and comforted her immensely. Holding them made the act of confessing her feelings seem much more doable._

_ "People don't want something that's going to end in just a couple days. They'd rather get flowers the beginning of the season so they can last longer," Cam murmured, staring down at his feet for a moment before looking back at her. "So, what did you come here for?"_

_ Lillian felt her chest begin to pound as she looked up at Cam, her cheeks bright red. His eyes widened as he caught the fear in her eyes. "Cam…I know we've only known each other for a few seasons, but…getting to know you has been my favorite part of living in this town and…I've come to really value our friendship. And even more I…I've come to fall in love with you."_

_ The florist's face reflected his shock, and for several moments he simply stared at her. Finally, as tears began to gather in her eyes, he murmured, "Oh. Thank you."_

"…You're welcome," Lillian stammered out, unsure what else to say. It was becoming rapidly evident that her feelings were not going to be reciprocated. He had pulled his hat down over his eyes to the best of his ability, and was staring down at his feet again. When he looked back up, it was not at her eyes, but somewhere off to the side of her face. "I think…I'm going to close the shop early today. Nobody is coming by anyways. Er…I'll see you around."

He left everything there on top of the stand and started heading into Howard's, leaving Lillian to stand by herself, holding the bouquet of flowers. "I'm…I'm sorry, Lillian," he mumbled when he looked back. Before she could tell him it was okay, he had opened the door and slammed it behind him.

_ The rain started to fall again, initially in slow confusion, and then in melancholy torrents, leaving Lillian a sodden mess as she stared down at the bouquet of flowers that had been doomed to die before she even received them._

* * *

The winter frost was already edging away despite there still being a week left of the season, and Lillian felt that she could almost touch spring even as she trudged through snow. The slightly warmer weather was highly anticipated throughout Bluebell, and everyone who passed by her seemed to be wearing cheerful, expectant faces. The worst of the year was almost over. The farmer wished she could say the same about her heartbreak. She looked across town to where Cam was selling flowers. For a moment it seemed like he was returning her gaze, but then he turned to strike up a conversation with Laney. The twinge of sorrow struck her, a well-known ally in her loss.

"Hey!" The now wildly familiar voice of her fellow farmer came close to her left ear, but when Lillian spun to see Ash, there was nobody there. She felt his fingertips brush against her right cheek and spun around again, but once more he had evaded her. This time she turned around once more as fast as she could, catching his shirt by the collar. She attempted to glare at him, but it faded quickly as she looked at his teasing smile and daring blue eyes. It was impossible to be mad at this boy, who had helped her through the season so much.

"You're a jerk," she finally told him, releasing him with a small grin. "Shouldn't you be doing something productive, like, you know, _working_?"

Ash sighed, folding his arms. "Here I thought my best friend would be a _little_ glad to see me – it turns out that she is, in fact, feeling quite the opposite." He stared expectantly at her, but Lillian copied his pose and stared steadily back. Finally he grinned and told her, "I finished work early today and I wanted to know if you wanted to do something with me. Maybe go communicate with Cam rather than hide from him, but that's just a suggestion."

Lillian shook her head, letting loose a small sigh. "Ash, you know that I feel really uncomfortable-"

But Ash did not let her finish that sentence, for he simply said, "I know," and then grabbed her hand and began to tow her towards the flower stand with a surprising amount of strength she wouldn't have typically expected from the boy. She initially attempted to plant her feet firmly in the dirt and pull back, but when the spectacle caught Cam's attention she decided to come willingly. Part of her was still reluctant to hurt Cam in any way, despite the pain he had caused her, and she couldn't stand to think he might suspect she didn't want to see him.

"'Lo Cam," Ash began cheerfully. "I want to buy a snowdrop for Lillian here so she'll smile rather than insult me for once."

Lillian shot him a furious look, narrowing her eyes. "I don't _always _insult you, and I wouldn't insult you near as much if you didn't go dragging me around like a child you know-"

"Do you see?" Ash told Cam, leaning towards his friend with a very serious look on his face. "I do everything I can to make this girl happy. I help her with her farm work, I take her out to eat, I carry her things for her, and now I try to buy her a flower, and still, not happy. It's like dealing with a teenage Cheryl – it's impossible!"

The farmer tried not to laugh at Ash's words, willing herself to instead maintain her annoyed act. "Well, if you'll see what _I _see Cam, it's rather different. I try to do farm work, Ash comes and demands I wait to feed the animals until I hang out with him. I'm in the middle of eating at Georgia's, Ash takes me by the arm and tries to tow me away to Howard's for dessert. I pick up some lumber to take to Eileen and he picks up me _and _the lumber and carries me through town while making sure everyone sees me in such a state."

"Po-tay-to, po-tot-o," Ash shrugged, though he was laughing as Cam glanced at Lillian, a small, reluctant smile on his lips. "How much for one snowdrop? I'd rather change the subject now then let this girl corrupt my oldest friend."

"630 G," Cam told Ash, still wearing a faint smile. It looked like he was struggling very much to hold it on – his eyes dropped to Ash's hand for a moment, which was still holding tight to Lillian's, and then he glanced at the girl, who was grinning at Ash. He pulled a snowdrop from the mix and held it out far more forcefully than he had intended, taking the money Ash offered with a swift gesture.

Ash took the snowdrop far more delicately than Cam would have anticipated and worked it slowly into the grasp of Lillian's headband, smiling when he stepped back to see it firmly in place. "Now, doesn't that make you a little happier than you were five minutes ago when I found you trudging towards my barn?"

"I wasn't heading towards your barn!" Lillian argued, reaching her hand up to touch the snowdrop. It was with a smile that she replied, "You're too full of yourself for your own good. But…thank you, Ash."

The boy offered a much more sincere smile than his previous ones, pinching her cheek. "I just like to see you grin. It looks good on you."

Cam hadn't expected Lillian to react at all. It appeared that most of what Ash said had little effect on her, though he recalled very small, subtle things _he_ had done had been enough to make her entire face flush. However, at this compliment from Ash, her cheeks turned a faint shade on pink, and she swatted his hand away, avoiding his eyes. "I'm going to go talk to Laney and Howard for a bit," she excused herself quickly, gathering her skirt up as she inclined her head towards the florist. "It was nice seeing you, Cam. I'll see you later, Ash."

With that farewell, she hurried into the shop, looking more shaken than Cam could ever recall seeing her. He turned back to Ash, who was leaning against the stand with a grin on his face. "Do you…" Cam drifted off, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Er…do you _like_ Lillian?"

Ash continued to stare after the girl for a moment longer before finally turning to face his friend. "I suppose that's for you to find out," he replied, winking. "I better get back to work now. I didn't actually finish early. Have a good day, Cam."

Cam stared after his friend, frowning. For the first time in the several years they had known each other, Ash refused to answer a question – and, in refusing, had answered it in a way Cam wasn't sure he liked.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: I'm having a good time writing this story! I adore these three together, haha. Thank you for taking the time to read and review the first chapter, I appreciate it very much. I hope you continue to read this story and are pleased with how it progresses._

* * *

_"Hello, Cam!" Lillian exclaimed cheerfully, rushing up to the flower stand, her hair a jumble of tangles and her clothes torn at the shoulders. The florist looked at her in shock, taking in her disheveled appearance with a quick sweep of his eyes before he shrugged off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Not only were her clothes ripped, they were soaking wet, leaving her shivering beneath them. Her excitement was forgotten for a second as her cheeks flushed with the weight of his jacket, but when it was laid firmly on her shoulders she professed, "Guess what I found?"_

_Cam smiled at her, adjusting his tie. It was impossible to guess what she had been doing – she often returned to him with some sort of crazy story dredged up from her trip across the mountain path, and they'd laugh over it for several moments, but it was always so peculiar he knew he never would have expected it. The last time she had come bumbling up it had been to announce she had found a den full of bear cubs and been chased wildly through half the mountain by their mother until she found safety by the Goddess' spring. The time before it had been that she had fallen against a mushroom and been jolted to another area of the forest. Nothing she went through was common enough he could anticipate it. He shrugged his shoulders, saying the same thing he always did. "I have no clue. What did you find?"_

_She reached into her bag and pulled out a bunch of wildflowers – when Cam took them from her hands, which were shaking with excitement, he found that they were middlemist reds – some of the rarest flowers in the world. "You…these…how…" he stammered out, finally putting a hand on her shoulder and exclaiming, "Do you know how rare these are?"_

_ Lillian had never seen Cam worked up so much, and reveled in it for a moment before shaking her head. "I wasn't sure. All I knew was that they were flowers you hadn't sold."_

_ Cam stared down at the flowers, stunned. "These flowers…they're only known to be grown in a few gardens across the entire world. It's suspected there's more of them then people know, and that they're just growing like any normal plant, unbeknownst to the people raising them that they're rare. It's really incredible that you found these. I can't believe it…but…how did you…get so wet and…?" he drifted off, unwilling to fully describe the state she was in._

_Lillian put an embarrassed hand to her hair, trying to smooth down the tangles. "Well, I saw them when I was up near the waterfall, growing in a small patch of grass worked into the rock wall. I grabbed onto one of the tree branches to try and pick them, because I thought you might like to see them…but then the tree branch broke and I fell into the water and ripped my clothes on the branch itself. I must look ridiculous, but…I just wanted you to have these, Cam."_

_The pair stared at each other for a moment, each of them blushing furiously. Finally Cam stretched a hand out, pushing her wet hair behind her ear. "Thank you," he murmured, his voice dropping almost to a whisper. "I…can't believe you did all of that for me."_

_ "What are friends for?" Lillian replied cheerfully. In truth, her entire body ached at the impact of falling so far, but seeing Cam's smile and feeling the tenderness of his hand against her face for a moment felt like more than enough to ease her discomfort. It was at that moment she realized she always wanted to be the one to make him smile. _

_ Cam seemed taken aback by this, but after a moment his shock relaxed into a look of pleasure, and he tucked his jacket tighter around her shoulders. "Yeah," he replied. "Friends."  
_

* * *

Lillian was standing at the request board, paging through another one of Georgia's complex appeals for feed ingredients, when she spotted a name that still had the power to spur her heart. She put a finger gently against Cam's scrawled signature, smiling. He had written in a blue pen, asking for some chamomile. The farmer happened to know there was plenty scattered throughout the mountain path, but wondered how she would go about actually _giving _the chamomile to Cam. What if she couldn't help herself, and blurted out that she loved him again? The thought made her cringe. Cam had acted strangely upon her confession, but his feelings were clear, and his continued act of discomfort around her made it clear he wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon.

"He can find his own chamomile," Lillian muttered to herself, turning to examine Rutger's request for a few red bouquets instead. Now _that _was doable, and all she had to do was ask Ash to get the bouquets for her…

"That's not very polite. If he felt like going out and finding his own chamomile, wouldn't he do that rather than put up a request for it?" Lillian knew it was Ash before she even turned. He had a nasty habit of turning up whenever she was scorning his friend. She glanced briefly over at him before turning back to the board, seeing what kind of fish Eileen wanted. The boy was undeterred, and leaned closer as he continued. "If you go and fetch everyone else their very simple requests, won't it be obvious that you're afraid of Cam? Do you want him to know that he has that kind of effect on you?"

"I think that cat is already out of the bag," Lillian mumbled, rolling her eyes. "What do you want, Ash? It's not like you to be so pushy about something like this."

His blue eyes bored into her, wearing down her defenses easily. It wasn't long until she turned to face him, folding her arms. He wore a triumphant smile as he gestured towards the forest. "I'll help you pick out the chamomile, if you want. I don't mean to be pushy, just…if there's any hope for you getting over Cam, it starts with this simple request and facing him not as the guy who broke your heart, but as someone who lives in your town. Maybe one day, simply a friend."

Lillian felt the intense desire to argue with him, to claim that there was no chance she could ever view Cam as just a friend. But, looking into those knowing eyes, she saw that it was pointless. Both of them knew that she was clinging to a useless love, and all she needed to do was push onwards until she saw Cam as the town florist, another friend in a place where everyone was her friend. She sighed and seized his arm, tugging him after her. "Fine, we'll go to the forest and pick up his chamomile, but you have to come with me when I give it to him and stay there while I get three red bouquets from him for Rutger."

"You mean for Rose."

"Come on, at least _pretend _it's a secret," Lillian giggled, playfully attempting to trip him. "If Rutger found out that we all knew it was for Rose before he told us he'd be devastated. Let him keep thinking we're ignorant."

Ash grinned over at her and shrugged. "I'll try, but if I have to listen to him deny it again, I might out him during one of the Cooking Festivals so Ina can tease him for me."

"I think he'd ban you from all future festivals."

"I'll be okay with that if you promise to skip out on them with me," Ash told her, shooting a sideways glance at her. His expression went unnoticed by her, but from across the way Cam saw a near wistful look on his friend's face and narrowed his eyes. Even if he couldn't hear the conversation, it was clear they were flirting.

Lillian glanced at the farmer and winked. "It depends on what I get in exchange. If you stop interfering with my work on the farm, I might leave the Cooking Festivals a little early to come here and tell you everything you missed out on."

"No deal. Demanding you give me more attention than your cows is possibly my favorite part of the day."

They continued bantering as they walked into the forest, sweeping up the chamomile scattered about the clearing. The sun loomed ever closer throughout the day, making the third day of spring suddenly unbearably hot, and when Ash knew that Lillian had safely deposited the chamomile into her bag, he tugged it off her shoulders and pulled her with him into the ankle deep water. She cried out and struggled against his grasp initially, but he continued to pull her farther away from the bank, deeper and deeper into the river.

"Ash!" she protested, thumping her fists uselessly against his chest. "What are you playing at? We're going to be soaked when we get back to town!"

"But we'll be a little bit cooler, won't we?" he asked, grinning. "Don't worry so much. Your bag is safe and sound on shore, your clothes will dry by tomorrow morning. Why don't you enjoy yourself a bit for once? Nobody is going to come here and punish you for having fun."

These words seemed to have great effect on Lillian, for she stopped struggling and rested against his chest for a moment, staring into his eyes with obvious surprise. Ash felt his cheeks heat up as she leaned closer, and then he felt her foot pull at the back of his knees, sending him toppling backward into the water. He caught himself before he was completely submerged, his head the only thing out of the water. "You're the worst," he replied, pushing himself forward and splashing her as he did.

"That's what you get for teasing me so much," Lillian replied. However, when Ash seized her wrist and heaved her farther into the water with him, he discovered that her cheeks were a rather bright shade of red, and when he pointed this out she sent a torrent of water at him, arguing loudly, "I'm not blushing, I'm just hot!"

"Sure, sure," he retorted, struggling to keep himself from sinking below the water's surface. He grinned at her as she narrowed her eyes at him, her blush only becoming more and more pronounced as they splashed at each other, laughing at the others outrage.

When they returned to town, their clothes were completely soaked, dripping onto the dirt floor and leaving muddy tracks where they walked. The townspeople just laughed at them, shaking their heads. "What were you two out doing?" Grady asked, leaning across the fence to call out to them. "Have a problem fishing?"

"Ash thought it would be funny to make me take a swim," Lillian accused, shooting a pointed look at the boy, who shrugged his shoulders and took on an innocent face. "She was so hot she was turning red," he told the man.

Lillian cried out, reaching to hit him, but he just caught her wrist, laughing. Grady simply laughed, shaking his head as they continued their trek to the flower stand, where Cam was watching the two with surprise. When they reached him Ash grinned, waving at his friend. "Hey, Cam. How's business been today?"

"Uh…fine," Cam replied, looking away. He was a terrible liar, and knew it. He hardly sold any flowers. Back when he and Lillian had been more friendly towards each other, she was both his best customer and his best employee, volunteering to help him sell flowers and ridding the stand of the buds each day. Now it seemed she spent her days helping out another boy. "What happened to you two?"

"Lillian demanded we go for a swim. I told her it was ridiculous, but she wouldn't take no for an answer," Ash told his friend, rolling his eyes.

Lillian's mouth opened in a wide O, making Ash burst into laughter. "Don't listen to him!" she cried out, slamming her hands down on the stand next to Cam's and leaning in towards him. "He made me go out there with him in the first place and then pulled me into the water and _then_ pulled me _all _the way in! _I _said no every step of the way but he made me go anyways!"

Cam was startled at how close they were, but couldn't help but grin. He wasn't sure why, but seeing her worked up so much made him want to laugh. When he glanced at Ash however, who had his arms folded and was watching her with mingled amusement and wistfulness, he leaned back and shook his head. "You should know you can't change Ash's mind once he makes it up."

When the farmer realized what she had been doing she pulled back, punching Ash in the shoulder. She gave him a pointed look, and he sighed, shrugging. "We got you your chamomile," he told Cam. "We saw it on the request board. And we need three red bouquets for Rose."

"For _Rutger_."

"Same thing," Ash replied, mocking exasperation. He smiled at her though, his eyes gentle. The expression seemed to calm Lillian, who smiled and began to fish through her bag for the chamomile they had gathered. As she passed it off to Cam, the florist found himself wishing he could send Ash off to do something and talk to her alone. A sudden urge to explain himself gripped him, and he wanted very much to take her hand when it brushed against his and apologize.

But he didn't do any of those things. He smiled at her and murmured his thanks before setting to work with the red bouquets. Ash turned to Lillian, asking her if she felt better now. She shook her head, looking flustered, and mumbled that it was the same as ever. Every exchange they shared, Cam drank it in. He wasn't sure how long he could continue to watch them in silence. When he passed the bouquets off to her, she said a hurried thank you, gave him the exact amount of money, and took off towards the Inn, shouting over her shoulder to Ash that she would see him the next day.

"She's wrong. I'll see her tonight. She stops by every night to play with Cheryl," Ash told Cam, leaning against the stand with a rather smug smile on his face. "I thought Cheryl would hate her, but she's taken to her pretty well. Rather sweet, actually."

Cam felt his expression turn sour and tried to fight against it. He didn't want Ash to know about his jealousy. "That's great. You two seem pretty close," he forced out, smiling back. It was an unfamiliar ache in him, to feel so angry at the boy he considered to be his closest friend. "Which basically answers the question I asked yesterday."

Ash straightened up, leaning towards his friend until their faces were only inches apart. "You already knew the answer to that question when you asked it. You just hoped I would back down because I know your answer would be the same. Only I'm not going to. I'm just as upset as she is about what you did, and I'm with her in trying to figure out why you did it. But in the meantime…I'm not going to let her wait for you to tell her you love her."

Their eyes lingered on each others, reflecting Ash's confusion and Cam's guilt, and then the rancher pushed himself back from the stand, stalking off towards his house. A few minutes later Lillian skipped down from the Town Hall, looking considerably cheered. She glanced over to the stand and, when she saw Cam standing alone, she frowned and said, "Where's Ash?"

"…He went back to his place."

"Oh," she murmured. A realization that it was just the two of them hit her, and she stared down at her feet, smiling slightly. "Well, thank you for the bouquets, Cam. I'll be heading home now."

"Wait!" Cam called out before he could stop himself, his grip on the stand tightening. "I…uh…I didn't get a chance to give you your reward for getting all of the chamomile earlier. It's not much but…I want to give you a bouquet. As thanks."

Lillian took a sharp breath, her eyes widening. She seemed to go towards him without ever deciding to take another step. "It's…it's fine, really, you don't have to thank me…it wasn't very hard or anything, chamomile is so easy to spot…"

"You went out of your way to help me, so let me go out of my way to thank you," Cam replied, smiling at her before he turned to the flowers. His hands flitted towards the pink roses, but then he looked at her and grabbed for the carnations. "You know…red carnations…they symbolize admiration. So when you give them to someone, you…give them to someone you admire."

Lillian was blushing, but there was a sadness in her smile as she said, "Oh really? I didn't know that."

"I want you to have these carnations because…I admire you, for being able to work so hard and make so many close friends and do so much all on your own – and finding the free time to still do stuff like gather chamomile for me. It's…really impressive…Lillian."

He knew he had said too much before the words even left his lips, but he couldn't help it. For just a moment, his fear had melted away, and he had felt an intense urge to regain her faith in him, to make her look at him the way she used to. He passed the bouquet to her, staring determinedly into her eyes, and she took it in both of her hands, her eyes shining and her smile widening. "That's…thank you, Cam. That's really kind of you. I…I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Cam nodded, tugging his hat down farther. The setting sun was his excuse for the heat radiating from his body. He lifted a hand to her as a goodbye, and watched as she walked through the town towards her farm, not even noticing Enrique's hello to her and holding tight to the flowers as she went. He hated that he lied to her. Perhaps a simple red carnation was enough to signify admiration, but the deep red flowers she was carrying out, having no clue what they meant…he heaved a sigh and shook her head. There was a reason Rutger got those specifically for Rose, and there was a reason Cam hadn't given her the pink roses. For just a few moments he wanted to be like Ash - able to treat her like she was special without being afraid. But even when given the chance, all he did was make things harder for her. The florist tossed his hat to the side, sighing.

When she was out of sight, Cam packed all the materials away, setting the bottles of perfume into the drawers beneath the stand. He hesitated and then opened the bottom drawer, looking at the dead remnants of a middlemist red. "Ash was right," he mumbled, touching one of the fallen petals with his fingertip. It cracked in half, making him frown. Unfortunately for Cam, knowing his feelings didn't make him anymore able to share them.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Gosh I don't have much to say haha. Everyone's kind words have been great motivation to keep this going. I'm curious: who do you guys want Lillian to end up with? I have the outcome in my head, but I'm wondering what everyone else is thinking haha. I hope you like this chapter - the beginning is one of my favorite parts, and picks up right after the flashback from the first chapter. Enjoy. (:_

* * *

_Lillian did not move to shelter herself from the downpour as she stood alone before Cam's flower stand. She wasn't sure what to do. For three seasons she had gotten closer and closer to Cam. They had enjoyed going to festivals together, they had had dinner with each other numerous times, and had shared things she didn't think either of them could tell anyone else. Yet, at the end of all of that, he had said nothing more than thanks before leaving her alone. Even his apology stung._

_ The rain fell for what felt like hours and then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Lillian flashed her eyes open, but she still heard and saw the rain all over, despite being perfectly dry herself. She looked up and saw a yellow sky – the inside of an umbrella. She slowly turned around, allowing herself to hope for one second, and then letting loose a choked sob when she saw that it was only Ash who held the umbrella over her head._

_ His eyes were sympathetic, and he was soaking wet, but he did not move and did not try to question her. He watched as the tears began to trickle from her eyes and then tossed the umbrella to the side, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight to his chest. She pressed her face against his sopping shirt, seizing it in her fists and sobbing against him. Ash closed his eyes, pulling her in even tighter. For several moments they remained as such, Ash doing his best to hold her and shelter her from the rain, and Lillian crying for the first time in a year. The silence was not broken until she pulled back, lifting her head to face him._

_"Why?" she whispered. "Why doesn't he love me back?"_

_Ash didn't bother with things Lillian's old friends would have said, and that was what made her appreciate his attention so much. He merely moved his hands to her face, wiping the mingled teas and rain drops from her cheeks, and murmured, "I don't know."_

_Lillian nodded, forcing a smile. "I expected that. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one who didn't."_

_Ash smiled down at her as well and then pulled her to him again, staring out at Howard's. He looked upstairs, where he knew Cam's room was, and scowled. Something in him, right at that moment, caused a sudden shift of hatred towards his dearest friend. Listening to Lillian sob against him, thinking of her miserable face as she stared up at him, accepting her heart break – it all made him want to hurt his friend in a way he had never wanted to hurt anybody before._

_ It was at that moment he promised himself that he would never let Cam get the chance to make Lillian cry again._

* * *

Spring Harmony Day was the height of excitement among the girls in town. Georgia and Laney adored being waited on by their friends for a turn, and women like Eileen, Jessica, and Rose ventured to hope for a little recognition. Unfortunately for Lillian, it was a day the mayor didn't bother to describe to her. When she traveled into town and found Laney and Georgia waiting with smug expressions outside Ash's house, she asked, "Are you guys…getting an animal or something?"

The girls burst into giggles, which only made Lillian feel more foolish. They were sympathetic, however, and shook their heads and apologized when they saw her face. "Oh, we're mighty sorry for laughing," Georgia began, trying to fight the smile on her face. "It's just that this is the _one _day a year we get to make those boys fuss over us rather than have it the other way around, and getting _Ash _to do it is 'specially fun."

"It's Spring Harmony Day!" Laney announced cheerfully, linking her arm with Georgia's. "This is the one day a year – besides our birthdays, and Goddess knows the boys don't remember really those – that those two have to give _us_a present. Candy or cake or something of the sort usually. It's just a town tradition. You know how we all baked cookies together last year and gave them to the guys? It's the opposite day now."

Lillian smiled, remembering how she, Laney and Georgia had labored over six batches of cookies to ensure Cam and Ash got one from each girl. To think of Ash and Cam doing the same was a rather strange thought. "That sounds fun. What do they usually give you two?"

"They usually give us whatever they buy from my dad," Laney giggled. "But today I specifically told dad not to sell anything to those two, so they had to actually _make _something for once."

"I reckon those two will put their heads together and show up with blackened cookies by the end of the day," Georgia shrugged, chuckling. "You just wait, Lillian. They'll show up all hot under the collar thrusting candy at you that you would never dream of touching."

The farmer grinned, putting her hands into the pockets of her skirt. She enjoyed listening to Georgia and Laney's banter, impressed both by how close they had grown up to become and how much of an influence they managed to have over Ash and Cam. With a sinking in the pit of her stomach, Lillian realized she had absolutely no impact on what either of them did. Cam treated her as though she was a backdrop to the scenery and Ash did whatever he felt like doing no matter what she said. "I think I'll go check the request board and see if there's anything I can do," she excused herself, smiling at them both and offering a wave. "I'll see you two later."

"Goodbye!" Laney called after her, Georgia waving with a wide grin. They were so eagerly anticipating their treats and Lillian didn't have a clue whether or not she would be receiving anything. She pulled her bag higher up on her shoulders and kept walking until she reached the request board, glancing at all the old notices. Nothing new had been put up, and there was still nothing she could do about Jessica's request for fancy dishes she didn't even know the ingredients of. She suddenly wondered if she could go spend some time with Ash, but looked over to see that Laney and Georgia were still waiting outside, wearing devilish grins.

"I guess I'll just…go see what's up with Howard," she mumbled glumly. The strange man could always cheer her up with some of his stories about Laney's childhood, which he exaggerated greatly. It was better than waiting around town, wondering what it would be like to receive her own sweets.

She hadn't even touched the door, however, when it flashed open and a hand reached out, yanking her inside. Ash closed the door quickly behind her, and Cam peered out the window, murmuring, "They didn't notice."

"Thank Goddess," Ash sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry about that, Lillian. I didn't want you to think we were avoiding you, but we're trying to steer clear from Georgia and Laney until we manage to pull something together, considering Howard has decided not to help us this year."

"Sorry boys," Howard shrugged, puckering up his lips in a guilty expression. "I'd love to help you, but Laney and Georgia were very specific about it! They said they only wanted treats from your hearts. I'm not even allowed to help you bake anything – you have to do it all on your own this year."

Cam and Ash exchanged a look and sighed in unison. Howard shrugged once more and then smiled at Lillian. "You can buy anything you'd like though, dear – as long as you don't give it to these two."

"Oh, I'm not here to buy anything, I'm sorry," Lillian apologized quickly, glancing towards the window. "I just…er…"

"Oh, you were lonely!" Howard exclaimed, clasping his hands together. Lillian instantly began to shake her head, and Cam and Ash's eyebrows lifted slightly. "No, no, I understand dear. Georgia and Laney were preoccupied with getting their treats, Cam and Ash were nowhere to be found – it's lonely when there's nobody your age to hang out with! But don't worry, _I _got you something special to cheer you up!"

He pulled a slice of chocolate cake from under the counter, handing it to her with a grin. "I figured you would be new to the whole tradition, and I always get my Laney and Georgia something, so I baked this for you too, Lillian. I hope you enjoy it."

Both boys exchanged a look, momentarily forgetting their anger at each other. All that flashed between them was _Did she really think we weren't getting her a present? _She was reacting with such obvious joy towards Howard's gift that it was clear she hadn't expected anything at all, and that sent a gut-wrenching pang of guilt through both of them. "Thank you so much," she said as she took the plate, the grin on her face enormous. "I hadn't expected anything – I didn't even know what was going on until Laney and Georgia told me! Thank you, really."

Howard grinned and patted her head. "It was my pleasure. I'm going to head upstairs and take care of some repairs – call me if anyone comes to buy anything, if you two boys decide to actually allow me to open up shop." He winked affectionately at the two and then retreated to the second floor, his gentle humming a sharp contrast to the thump of his heavy footsteps on the stairs. Lillian sat at the table beside Cam, taking a bite of her cake and paying him no attention. Cam glanced at Ash in time to see the smug expression, but Ash knew perfectly well it was a calculated act.

He sat down opposite her, leaning his head on his hand. "Do you know how to bake anything, Lillian?"

She glanced at him, narrowing her eyes. "There's no way I'm helping you two. If Laney and Georgia found out, they would be furious – especially when they said they were especially excited to have _you_wait on them."

"I'm a perfect gentleman to them!" Ash protested. "And you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything," Lillian scoffed, rolling her eyes. Cam grinned, leaning against the wall. She took another bite of her chocolate cake and looked up to see Ash pouting, and simply shook her head. "I'm not going to help you. I'm sure you can cook just fine, you just aren't trying. All you have to do is find a recipe and follow it as closely as possible. It's not like they're expecting anything more than 'blackened cookies,' as they said."

Ash sighed and let his head fall onto the table, staring ahead at her. "They said that? Now I have to make something perfect so they can't hold it over me. Cam, do you know where Howard keeps the recipe books?"

"He put them away," Cam sighed. "Laney and Georgia said they wanted to make sure we had no help at all."

Lillian burst into laughter, and Ash glared at her. "You do realize that if we don't get to make anything, _you _don't get anything from us either, right?"

The farmer simply took the last bite of her cake and headed to the sink, flicking the water on. "I never expected anything from either of you in the first place," she replied, her eyes betraying the levelness in her voice as she stared sadly down at the plate. Ash glanced at Cam, who got to his feet and walked over to the sink, taking the plate from her.

"I'll wash it for you," he mumbled, avoiding her eyes. Lillian staggered back several paces from the sink, staring at him in shock. She looked over at Ash, who shrugged and mouthed, 'Guilty?' She shrugged as well, thanking Cam in a quiet voice before stumbling back and into a seat beside Ash, her eyes wide and confused.

Ash draped his arm around the girl's shoulder, shooting a dark look at Cam. Whatever he was attempting to do, it went completely against what Ash wanted for Lillian – the boy could obviously not tell her he liked her in the state he was in, but treating her as though he did was only going to drive her further into misery. Ash's hand tightened, and she looked at him in confusion, asking loudly, "What's wrong with you?"

Cam glanced over to catch his friend's dark expression, but Ash turned to Lillian with a groan and said, "I was going to make something for you, you know. I mean, I bought you a cake yesterday, but I figured if I set to work baking something to appease those two...I'd put something together for you too. I just didn't bring you the cake because when they came to my door this morning they kept emphasizing the importance of 'hand-made gifts' and I thought you might feel the same way."

The florist's eyes widened and then narrowed at his friend. He had bought a rather large, elaborate cake the night before, but had claimed it was for his sister, which was a regular occurrence. Cam hadn't thought of getting Lillian _anything_, but felt like if he didn't do something now, she would continue to look at him with that miserable edge in her eyes – and he was getting tired of knowing how unhappy he made her. Her eyes lit up at Ash's proclamation, however, and she quickly shook her head. "No, no, you don't have to make me anything. Just knowing that you bought me something is…it's really nice of you Ash. You know…" she glanced at Cam and dropped her voice, but the boy could still strain himself enough to catch the next words. "You don't have to be so nice to me."

There was a tense moment that followed, and then Ash grinned, pushing himself up into a standing position. "No, Lillian. You're wrong. I do have to be so nice to you. Now, do you want to watch me and Cam make fools of ourselves for the day?"

Lillian hesitated and then took his hand, forcing his pinky to link with hers. "Promise me that if I help you, you won't tell them a _single _word about it? They'll be furious with me."

Ash looked even more surprised than Cam, his pinky tightening around hers. Even while nodding he asked, "What? You're actually going to help us?"

"You're always so nice to me and…I figure I should do something in return," she mumbled with a hint of embarrassment, seizing the apron Laney usually wore and spinning around. "Tie this for me, would you? And make sure the door is locked. If Laney and Georgia ask, I was here to help Howard with his repairs, alright?"

Ash grinned and took the strings, securing her apron and letting his hands linger at her waist. "You're pretty amazing, you know? I'll do anything you say." He winked when she turned to face him, her cheeks red, and then went to the door, turning the switch and letting the resounding click fill the air. Lillian continued to Cam and began to list out the ingredients she would need, staring fixedly into his eyes as if that could strengthen his attention. He wondered whether his cheeks were turning as red as Ash had made hers, and nodded when she was finished, hurrying to the back room.

Before he could walk away, however, Lillian touched his arm, stopping him. "Oh, and could you see if you can find one of Laney's hair ties around? It's easier for me to cook with my hair up."

Cam froze in place, and when she went to pull her hand back he caught it, holding it tightly to his arm. She leaned back, startled, and he quickly nodded, hastening through the door behind her as though just realizing what he had done. He had made no move to explain it, instead simply disappearing as though it had never happened. Lillian turned to Ash, who came to stand next to her and leaned against the counter.

"Your turn to promise me something," the boy mumbled, holding his pinky out. Lillian frowned and then held hers up as well, hooking it around his. They stood like that for a moment, and then Ash grabbed her entire hand, lacing his fingers with it. "Promise me you won't fall for that guy again. I don't ever want to see you like _that _again."

Lillian smiled and squeezed Ash's hand. "Don't worry about it. I don't know what's in his head, but I know he doesn't like me. I'm not foolish enough to pursue a relationship with someone who doesn't have feelings for me."

"Do you have your eyes on someone else then?" Ash asked, his eyes twinkling. He wore a playful grin, and Lillian hesitated before returning it, winking at him. "I guess you'll have to wait and see," she retorted, pulling her hand away and turning to the oven. A triumphant grin lit up Ash's face, and he hopped up onto the counter to watch her.

Cam leaned his head on the other side of the door, taking a deep breath. He wasn't sure what was in his head either, but he knew that the longer he took sorting it out, the faster he'd watch Ash and Lillian fall in love with each other.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Sorry if my chapters start coming in a little slower than usual, but I've got the flu and I'm not sure when I'll bounce back. It may be tomorrow or next week, haha, so I'm just giving everyone a heads up for now. As always, thanks for the reviews! It's cool to see so many people rooting for Ash, haha, he doesn't get as much attention in the HM fandom as Cam does, as many mentioned. Now I've gotta ask something else, because I'm very, very curious: do you prefer Laney or Georgia? Ahah, a bit off topic, but I always hear people complimenting Laney when I think Georgia is such a cutie. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading. (:_

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_ Lillian's arrival in town had inspired waves of avid curiosity, with gossip following her everywhere she went. Cam and Ash, both having dedicated their lives to remaining as unmoved by chatter as possible, stood together at the flower stand and pretended they didn't hear Laney and Georgia discussing the girl in great detail._

_"She's mighty nice. I reckon she must have come here to get away from the city, and she fits right on in with this lifestyle," Georgia was telling the blonde, a grin on her face. "I don't blame her one bit for bein' so shy though. She told me she doesn't know how to go about getting to know people in town, and it makes sense. I told her all of us have known each other since we were tykes…must be strange coming into a town like that."_

_"Definitely," Laney agreed, placing a hand on her chin as though pondering something vastly important. "We have to make sure she feels welcome here. A farmer is a very important asset! Not to mention she's so sweet it'd be a shame to make her think we don't all want to befriend her…hey, you two!" Cam and Ash jolted back when she turned and caught them staring, exchanging frenzied looks. Whenever Laney and Georgia included them in something, they could be sure it would be embarrassing. "Come with us to go visit the new girl!"_

_The boys groaned in unison – a rather good testament to their friendship – and exchanged another look. "It'll be obvious if we go over there like we're some kind of welcoming committee," Ash protested. "It'd be better if we waited until she came over here. It's not like Cam and I aren't going to be perfectly friendly to her."_

_ The girls glanced at each other, their annoyance also a clear sign of their bond. It seemed that they had spent most of their life trading exasperated looks while Cam and Ash rolled their eyes at each other. Laney was the one who decided to speak, marching over to the stand. "Alright, when Georgia moved here, don't you remember that she was awfully shy and it was hard for her to get used to us, because Ash and I had lived here our whole lives and she was expected to come and make friends with us out of nowhere? And don't you remember how Cam came a year later and went through the _exact _same thing?"_

_ Cam hesitated, glancing at Georgia. From what he had heard, she had an incredibly tough time assimilating herself into Bluebell life, having lived out in the country where her only neighbors were miles away. Ash had told him the story of him and Laney stopping by her house every day for a month until she could talk to them regularly. The florist knew perfectly well how hard it had been for _him_to come to Waffle Island and fit in, knowing everyone was expecting something from him, everyone was waiting to see if the gossip was true. He would still be sitting by himself in Howard's house bemoaning the entire situation had Ash not made a mission of befriending him. He glanced at his friend, who nodded, and then both boys murmured, "Let's go see her."_

_Laney clapped her hands together, and Georgia grinned and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Thanks you two! You'll see, you'll be pleased as punch you came with us once you get to know her. She's mighty pretty, you know." The girls exchanged a wink and a giggle, and Cam and Ash glanced at each other and shrugged._

_ "Sure," Ash rolled his eyes._

_ "Whatever you guys say," Cam tacked on._

_ They lingered behind the girls, Cam with his arms folded across his chest and Ash with his hands stretched out into the sky. "It'll be nice, having someone new around," Ash pointed out. "Who knows, maybe you'll actually communicate with her. That'd be impressive."_

_Cam grinned at his friend, shrugging. "Maybe you'll find someone new you can talk to death."_

_"You think this new girl is going to replace you? Sorry, you're stuck with me for quite a while," Ash teased, adjusting the straps against his shirt. "Now let's go get this over with."_

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Cam woke up on the twentieth day of spring to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. Initially suspecting it was Laney, come to try and bring him down to a family breakfast again, he sighed and mumbled, "Let me sleep for a little bit longer."

"I didn't know you were so lazy," Lillian replied dryly, a small smile on her face. Cam bolted upright, nearly bumping into her. There was an unease to her about being in his room, and it was clear she felt shy, but she tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "I…er…I came to ask Howard and Laney if they knew what I should get Ash for his birthday, and they told me I needed to come wake you up and get advice from you. I didn't want to wake you, but they…er…"

Cam smiled, shaking his head. He knew all too well how pushy Howard could be. It was with a frown that he considered _why_ Howard was going to such lengths to ensure Lillian gave the boy a good present, and he realized with a groan that his foster father was attempting to set Lillian and Ash up. It didn't seem possible to refuse her, however, considering she had gone through the trouble of waking him in the first place and didn't know where else to turn, so he murmured, "Don't worry about it. I'll help you out in just a second, I have to, er, get dressed first."

Lillian's face flushed with color as she quickly averted her eyes from his naked chest, the blanket having slid down to reveal it at that precise moment. "Okay!" she called over her shoulder, wrenching the door open. "I'll wait outside for you!"

When the door slammed behind her, Cam sighed and let himself fall back against his pillow. Had she come to him for something like this only a few seasons ago, he would have been happy to oblige – he would have considered it a day he could spend with her. Now, he felt like he was playing a part in orchestrating the last relationship he wanted to see come together. He closed his eyes and saw her stricken face when he had turned her down and knew he couldn't do it again, even on such a smaller scale. No matter how much his mind and body protested, he pushed himself out of bed and grabbed his shirt, getting ready earlier than he had in weeks.

Lillian was sitting across from Laney and Howard when he came out, cheerfully sharing in their breakfast time. Her laughter died out when she saw him, and she put a small smile on her lips as she looked up at him before turning back to her pancakes. Howard beamed at Cam, clapping him on the shoulder and shoving him down into the chair beside Lillian. "You haven't eaten breakfast with us in months!" he proclaimed excitedly. "I insist that you try my pancakes. You probably don't even remember how they taste!"

Cam glanced over at Lillian, who was grinning at Howard's treatment of him. "What's so funny?" he asked, surprised at the teasing lilt in his voice.

"I've never seen you like this before," she replied, her lips twisting into a smirk. "It's sort of funny to see someone who appears so unfazed being convinced to do all of these things he doesn't want to do just because Howard requests it from you. It's nice of you, though."

"You've been spending too much time with Ash," Cam answered, glancing at her smirk. He was surprised at the words when they left him and tacked on a hasty, "Just kidding. I respect Howard a lot. He took me in for no particular reason so, if eating pancakes makes him happy, I'll eat the pancakes. It's the least I can do."

The smile remained on her face as she replied, "Maybe so. I think it's very nice of you. Laney said you almost never wake up early. I'm sorry to inconvenience you so much…"

"No, no, it's fine!" Cam blurted out, even catching the attention of Howard and Laney across from him. "I mean, er…I have to get my presents for Ash together too, anyways. He always has a party here, and everyone gives him their presents then and he-,"

"And he expects Cam to put together something special for him," Laney finished in a teasing voice. "Ash presumes only the very best from his best friend, after all. Georgia and I always put our heads together to get him things each of us are good at – my part of the gift is usually some sort of dessert, and she gathers his favorite butterfly and flower." Before Lillian got the chance to comment on this, however, the smile on Laney's face turned to sudden intrigue, and she leaned forward and said, "Hey, when is _your _birthday Lillian? We should make sure we have a party set up for you like there is for the four of us each year. We didn't even celebrate your birthday last year!"

Lillian waved this off, shaking her head. "It's fine, really. I'm not big on celebrating my own birthday, after all. When I lived in the city, it amounted to a small dinner with my parents, nothing much, so a party would be rather hard to adjust to…"

"Well, you'd better try, because we're going to make sure you have one," interrupted a voice from the door. Ash leaned against the frame, a forced smirk on his lips. "If I had known Laney and Cam were going to invite you to my party for me, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of looking all over for you."

The pair met eyes, and Lillian felt a wave of unexpected guilt wash over her. She felt as if she had betrayed Ash in some way by having breakfast with Cam and sitting beside him, and leaned away from him slightly. Howard answered for her, however, exclaiming, "What are you doing out and about? I thought Cheryl was supposed to keep you busy while we set to work preparing for your bash! We can't have you seeing all the surprises before you even get them."

Ash grinned and shrugged. "I wanted to make sure Lillian knew she was invited, since my mom said nobody had mentioned it to her yet. But now that I see she is, I'll get out of your hair. See you all tonight."

He turned and lifted a hand over his shoulder, but spun around at the noise of a chair stumbling over. Howard, Laney and Cam stared at Lillian with the same measure of shock, having been able to watch her leap to her feet so quickly she sent her chair toppling backwards. When she realized all eyes were on her she cleared her throat, trying to fight the scarlet in her cheeks. "Ah…happy birthday, Ash. And thank you for seeking me out."

Ash laughed, clearing the distance between them and pulling her into a hug. Lillian's eyes flashed in surprise, and she tentatively set a hand on his back. They had not been so close to each other since the cold autumn day nearly two seasons ago. When he pulled away from her, she saw a hint of embarrassment in his eyes that was rare for him. "Thank you," he told her in a low voice, and then chuckled again. "You're actually the first to wish me happy birthday. Seems everyone else is waiting for tonight. I'll see you all then." He clapped Cam's shoulder in a cheerful gesture reminiscent of their earlier years of friendship, waving again before he left.

"Well," Howard murmured with a knowing smile, rising with his plate in hands. "I suppose you two had better finish and get to work with that present."

Cam helped Lillian steady her chair again, and she flushed in embarrassment. "Ah…right…thank you, Cam." The florist had no words for her in reply, however, turning to his pancakes with a bitter glare.

Cam and Lillian spent the day traipsing back and forth, rushing through the mountains at a sprint to reach Konohana and get all the proper ingredients for two dishes of doria, which Cam had confided was his friend's favorite dish, and several Konohana desserts that were delicacies in Bluebell. They had been forced to use the dilapidated kitchen in her home due to the last minute preparations in Howard's kitchen and when they had finished, they found the party was still a ways off, and plopped onto Lillian's bed with sighs of exhaustion.

"I didn't expect that to be so difficult," Lillian murmured, leaning back to lie across the comforter. "Ash is a pickier eater than I expected."  
"Ash's party is generally the toughest…but I guess he's so used to spoiling his sister that being spoiled one day a year is important for him."

Lillian grinned, setting her hands behind her head as she stared up at Cam. Spending the day with a common goal had enabled her to see the boy, for once, as just a friend. She suspected it had more to do with the fact that they each needed each other to get Ash's favorite gifts, but prided herself on the idea that she was getting over her feelings for Cam slowly but surely. "You two sure are close," she told him, catching his attention instantly. "I've never met two people who know more about each other – besides Georgia and Laney, of course."

Cam hesitated and then smiled. "Yeah…I guess we were…"

He caught himself too late – Lillian had already leapt up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Were?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together in worry. "What do you mean?"

"We're just not as close as we used to be, that's all. It's nothing to worry about," Cam replied, trying to force a smile to comfort her. He hated to explain it to her – to gesture to himself, in her room, and explain these were the things that made Ash the angriest at him, to gesture to the presents waiting, wrapped on the table, and explain those were the things that made Cam angriest at Ash.

She looked like she wanted to press on, but when she caught sight of his strangled smile she nodded, squeezing his shoulder for a moment before returning both hands to her lap. "I see. I'm sorry. When I first came here, and you two showed up to welcome me to town…I had never seen two people who got along better. But I suppose…everything drifts apart eventually. Anyways, the two of us had better get going, right?"

Cam hesitated, catching her sleeve. "What do you mean…everything drifts apart eventually?"

Lillian did not blush for once at this gesture. She simply smiled at him and said, "No matter how much you want it to do the exact opposite, everything will change and break and form together in new ways. Maybe your friendship with Ash is in need of a change – I doubt it'll just disappear." And with that she pulled her sleeve free and swept up several of the presents, kicking the door open for him to follow her.

Presents had been displayed, the cake had been devoured, and the party decorations were starting to fall from the ceiling, the tape peeling along the wood Eileen was trying to convince Howard to allow her to replace. Ash and Cam stood off to the side, watching the festivities unravel. It seemed that even while being furious at the other, old habits were too hard to break – they still found themselves together in the midst of a party, watching everyone else interact.

"I was a little worried today, when I saw Lillian with you," Ash admitted, glancing over at the boy beside him with a raised eyebrow. "It was interesting, to see you watching her so. But now I see that she went to you to get presents for me, and that makes me feel better."

"You can't just stand in silence, can you?" Cam replied with a humorless grin.

Ash shrugged. "It's in my nature to talk to fill the silence. I've asked you about a hundred times, and you never answered me _once_. Why did you do it, Cam? Why did you break her heart like that? I covered for you at the time. I told her I didn't know why you didn't love her. I knew perfectly well that you did. So _why_?"

Cam glanced over at him, noting that the boy's expression had turned wildly serious. "And I told you a hundred times it's none of your business. I would think you'd be a little more grateful."

He knew those words would rile Ash up, but he couldn't help but release them. The birthday boy turned on his closest friend with an unprecedented fury in his blue eyes and hissed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. You took advantage of your chance to get closer to her, didn't you? When you could have tried to help me first?"

They glared at each other for a moment as Ash forced himself to relax among the stares of the town. Cam noted that Lillian in particular was paying close attention to the two. Through gritted teeth Ash forced out, "I comforted her before I spoke to you because she was in the middle of a thunderstorm sobbing. I went to you after I made sure she was okay, and I _tried_. You're the one who wouldn't let me in. If you had given me a single reason why I should help set you up with Lillian, I would have stepped aside and done it. What's the reason now? So you can lead her on and let her down over and over and over again?"

Cam spun around to face his friend, feeling a pounding heat in his chest he couldn't ignore. What hurt him the most was that these words were perfectly true. He had no intention of ever accepting Lillian's feelings, no intention of confessing his own, but still yearned to be close to her, to speak to her in a way only Ash did now. It was only Ash standing between him hurting her again and again, and despite the fact that he could see perfectly clearly that Ash was in the right, he felt a sudden urge to punch the smirk off his face.

"Ash," a small voice mumbled, tugging the boy to the side. Lillian was staring at him very firmly, her violet eyes boring into his blue. "Let's go outside for a minute."

Ash glanced over at Cam, who felt shame squirm through him from head to toe. He had broken her trust in him, and Ash's trust in him, and he couldn't even begin to explain why. He turned away, staring fixedly at the punch bowl to his right. Ash allowed Lillian to tug him out the front door, through a crowd of onlookers with raised eyebrows. Her hand was warm in his, but she was shaking, her eyes frustrated.

"Are you mad at me?" Ash asked, surprised. She nodded once, firmly, and he sighed. "Please tell me why."

"What is going on with you and Cam?" Lillian asked, her eyes narrowing. "He told me earlier at my house that you two have drifted apart, and you haven't told me a _single _thing about this, like I'm left completely in the dark and-"

"Why was he at your house?" Ash interrupted.

"We went there to wait for your party to start. That's beside the point ent-"

"No." He set his hands on Lillian's shoulders, leaning forward until their faces were only inches apart. "Listen to me, Lil. That is _exactly _the point. If you want to know where my problem with Cam starts, then all you need to think about it _really _hard and you'll come up with it."

His voice was slightly condescending, but mostly desperate as he searched her eyes, praying that she would not turn on him, hoping against all odds she would take his side rather than Cam's. Her eyes flickered to his with confusion, but before she could get any words out, a new understanding dawned in them, and she snapped her mouth closed. It was a long few moments before she said, "I think I should go."

Ash reached out and caught her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "No, Lillian, _please _ don't go. It's not your fault."

"It's completely my fault," Lillian replied. "I made you angry at Cam and now Cam is angry with you too. It's my fault for making you pity me rather than your friend. You should be spending time with _him _right now – your best friend, Ash. Not me. I don't want to be the one who comes in between a friendship like yours. In fact, that's the _last _thing I want. So please…let me go."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Ash's fingers slowly unwound themselves from hers, and she took one tentative step forward, staring over her shoulder at him. "Happy birthday, Ash," she murmured, her eyes clouded over, and then broke into a run towards her farm, far away from the booming cheers of the people inside who had already forgotten the problem at hand.

"That didn't go well."

"Shut up," Ash told Cam, rolling his eyes. Still, a smile clung to his lips. "I think you and I are supposed to kiss and make up now."

They glanced at each other, neither of them expecting a response. After a moment, however, Cam answered, "Well, that's why I came out here."

The immediate response was silence, but when several more minutes passed, Ash's shoulders began to shake and he covered his face with one hand. Cam initially thought he was crying, and his eyes flashed open, only to realize a second later that he was laughing. "You're such an idiot," Ash mumbled, shaking his head between chuckles. "You can't pretend to be my knight in shining armor. That's supposed to be my card."

"I can go back in and get an umbrella, if that will make this situation a little better."

A tear trickled down Ash's cheek, and Cam winced. Then another laugh came, and another, and then they were both laughing, falling into their usual places against Cam's flower stand. As the first hint of summer heat started to waft through the town, the two best friends stared out at the empty street and laughed at how unfunny everything had become to them.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hey everyone, thanks for the continued support! You're all veryyyy kind to me haha, it really motivates me to get this story churned out with as much haste and quality as possible. I'm glad I haven't disappointed you all (yet). I'm sorry to say I'm going to be leaving tomorrow for vacation, so from July 5-8 I'll be camping. I have the next chapter written however, so I will try to update as soon as I get back! Thanks for your continued patience - I know when you're looking forward to a story even an hour seems ridiculous haha. I hope you enjoy reading and have a good Fourth of July or just a regular old good day haha._

* * *

_"The love I feel for my friend, this year, is different from the love I felt last year. If it were not so, it would be a lie. Yet we reiterate love! love! as if it were coin with a fixed value instead of a flower that dies, and opens a different bud."_

_Lies About Love – D.H. Lawrence_

* * *

_ "Oh, Ash!" He already knew it was her, despite barely having spoken to the girl before, because she was still in a stage of doubt that gleamed through her words. Every greeting, joke, suggestion – it was all tentative and often forced. When he looked over his shoulder at her, he saw the nervous grin that showed too much of her teeth and the fear that made her eyes wider than normal. He smiled without meaning to. It was a little endearing, though mostly laughable._

_"Hey!" He called out in reply, smiling back. Ash hoped he would be able to put her at ease, but that look of fake pleasure remained stiffly on her face. How long would it take until her cheeks hurt? He glanced at the animal he had been brushing and let it scamper off. It didn't matter to him that it had taken longer than he would have liked to get the sheep to stay still in the first place – that awkward, uncomfortable expression on her face drew him to her. It reminded him, in a way, of Cam. "What are you doing out and about?"_

_She leaned against the fence, propping her head up on her hand. "I just came to look around some more. I've only been here for three weeks, but everything is still so new."_

_ Ash smiled at her once more, but his eyes drifted off towards a certain flower stand in the distance. Perhaps he had been able to feel the eyes on him – well, actually, on Lillian. Cam hastened to look away when he noticed his friend looking, but the damage was done. A mischievous grin spread on Ash's lips and he hopped over the fence, landing beside her with a heavy thud. She stumbled back, nearly falling onto the other side herself. The boy jolted forward, catching both of her hands, and wrenched her towards him._

_ He could not have expected what happened next. She fell against his chest and looked up at him with a fierce blush, and he looked down at her with the same expression. Laughing nervously, he let go and turned away to adjust his hat. "Are you alright?" he asked, not looking at her._

_ "I'm good, thanks," she replied, her steady voice betrayed by her pursed lips and flush._

_"Then come with me to go see Cam," Ash told her, turning back with a new smile meant to reassure her. Now his eyes lingered, however, on her violet ones, on her golden hair, on her rosy cheeks, long eyelashes, the curve of her collarbone visible beneath her shirt. Lillian was still not meeting his eyes, and could not have noticed. Reluctance took hold of Ash, but when he glanced over at his friend and saw the faint frown on his lips, he couldn't help but grin. Finding out that boy was interested in something besides flowers and cats was a thrill, and when he looked from one to the other he couldn't deny they made the perfect match. He laughed and clapped Lillian on the shoulder, shoving her forward. "And hurry up, I don't have all day!"_

_Lillian stumbled forward and glanced back at him, meeting his eyes for the first time. For a moment, her expression was panicked – and then, gradually, it resolved into a feeble smile. Her cheeks were even redder as she snuck a glance at Cam. "Er…okay. If it's not inconveniencing him."_

_ Ash rolled his eyes when she looked away. His friend didn't hasten to tell him when he was being bothersome, but he knew this time around that insult wouldn't come. "I'm pretty sure he's already in love with you," he told her, only half-teasing._

_ She too rolled her eyes, but she silently walked along with him, her grin growing until her entire face lit up as they walked._

* * *

"It seems a little lame that you only sell two flowers during the summer," Ash told his friend as he picked up a red rose and a sunflower, twirling them about. "Even in winter you sell three. What's up with that? There are plenty of other flowers growing right by us, in the mountain path."

Cam glanced at his friend with a dark look, but both knew it couldn't last. Cam wasn't very good – usually – at being angry. "You're not helping out here, you know. You can leave anytime you want. You've got to get in some good practice for that hand fishing thing, right? That's your next chance to talk to Lillian – grubbing around in ankle deep water."

These exchanges had become common in the two weeks that had passed since Ash's birthday. Lillian's contact with both of the boys had been limited – from what they had heard around, she had spent a lot of time in Konohana. Both had to fight their annoyance to see her helping out Dirk with his delivery business, or riding horses with Kana. Every time she was confronted by either of them – most frequently Ash, who refused to give up on her – she acted as though the very sight of them made her nervous. Cam had a feeling it had more to do with Ash off-handedly confessing to her, but the boy argued otherwise. "She's probably just guilty that she loves you and now she has me to deal with," he would mumble glumly.

Ash just winked. "You underestimate my skills. I'm planning on going head to toe with her, you know. I want it to be a tie so we have to share this year's first prize."

"And what is this year's first prize?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow. It was usually honey wine, and he was hoping Ash wasn't expecting something to come from that.

The annoyed look he received suggested he was wildly off target. "It's _not _honey wine, for your information. This year, it's a picnic. It's _supposed _to be with Rose and Rutger, but Rose already thinks we're a couple, so if we tied, she'd definitely have us go out just the two of us. Like a date."

As if Cam needed further explanation. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He had expected rekindling his friendship with Ash to bring him the much needed encouragement to disband any further hope of some sort of future relationship with Lillian, in a time where he would be able to confront his feelings. What it _had_ done was awaken a great deal of jealousy he hadn't realized he possessed and left him constantly wanting to one up his closest friend.

This time, he didn't need to announce his intention. Ash turned to him, his lips turned up in a smirk, and said, "You know…I won't be mad at you if you try to win this too. I won't even get angry if you win with her. But I know you'd probably lose." Cam raised an eyebrow – he rarely fell victim to such goading, and he knew that Ash knew that very well. He waited, and then saw a gleam strike the boy's light eyes. "And when you lose, you'll get to know before anyone else that Lillian and I are going off on a date together."

Cam narrowed his eyes at Ash, who returned the look with that of mingled amusement and daring. The florist already knew that if he didn't accept now, he would be forced into accepting sooner or later by the consistent prodding his friend had up his sleeve. Ash always got his way, somehow or other. "I'll compete, but I don't know why you want me to so much," Cam told him, snatching back the flowers and momentarily betraying his annoyance before he returned them back to their places.

A moment of silence passed, and then Ash merely shrugged. "I could tell you I think if Lillian continues to see us together she'll start treating me the same she used to, but I only came up with that just now. Do you want to know my honest answer?"

"No, I want to hear a lie," Cam mumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Ash. Enlighten me."

The boy just grinned. "The truth is, if I end up dating Lillian knowing that you stood by and did absolutely nothing to try and switch her affections back towards you, I won't feel right. I want to know that she had both of us going for her, but only chose one – not that she chose me because you wouldn't have her. Anyways, I'm going to go complete my daily ritual of trying to get her attention while she politely continues to brush me off. I'll wear her down eventually."

Ash simply hopped off the stand and walked away without another word, and Cam offered no goodbye. He watched him disappear down the path that led towards Lillian's house, where he would likely find her out – and even if he did find her, she would consequently come up with an excuse that would take her back into Konohana's reaches. He pulled his hat off his head and glanced out over the town, which was stagnant in the summer heat. It seemed a better time than any to start practicing hand fishing.

* * *

"Well," Lillian stated blankly, looking like she was trying very hard not to laugh. Cam and Ash stood before her, their pant legs rolled up to the knees and their faces grim as they looked at the excited townspeople milling about in the water, getting in last minute practice. "I did not expect to see either of you here."

"We always compete. It's a yearly friendship tradition," Ash lied. Cam glanced over at him and, when Lillian wasn't looking, Ash shrugged. Both boys rolled their eyes at each other before turning back to watch Lillian hitch her skirt up higher and yank her shoes off.

"Whatever you say, Ash," she replied. It seemed she was angry at him for something or other, which Cam wasn't particularly surprised about. Ash confided often that she was protective of her first love, and didn't like to hear anything against him. Cam tried to pretend that this didn't intrigue him. Part of trying to keep his friendship with Ash stable meant that he had to take everything in stride and wait before using any information gathered. Still, even with all her annoyance, there was a wry smile on her face when she met the rancher's eyes.

Rutger and Rose hastened over, thankfully having decided not to participate. Cam vaguely remembered lazing about with Ash several years before only to discover Rutger had nearly broken his hip in a daring fall to catch at least one fish before the time ran out. Rose had been kind enough to pull out of the competition as well, despite having been a frequent frontrunner. Rose touched his shoulders while Rutger, much to Cam's displeasure, pulled Ash and Lillian towards him in some sort of awkward hug. They glanced at each other, struggling not to laugh.

A deep pit was beginning to form in Cam's stomach, gnawing away at his aloof exterior. For the first time in weeks, a clearly distressed frown broke out across his face in front of people other than Ash, Laney and Howard. It was unnoticed by the mayor and his wife trying wildly to pair up a new couple, but the couple themselves were very aware.

"You know, you young folk are really going to give each other a good run! I wouldn't be surprised if there was a tie," Rose chuckled. Lillian raised an eyebrow at the boys, but mostly Ash, who shrugged. Cam couldn't help but laugh inwardly at how cunning love had made his friend. "Rutger and I probably won't be eating with the winner in that case. So many young 'uns rushing about…it really takes me back to the early days of the hand fishing contest…"

"Ah, right!" Rutger exclaimed. "It was a good thirty-six years ago – times were very different, as you can surely imagine – and hand fishing was the pride of Bluebell. All Konohana had was their measly, pathetic bug catching festival, and-"

A loud bang rang through the air and Eileen winked at the teens, holding a gun from which smoke was still billowing. "Let's get out there and do our best!"

Ash and Lillian ducked out from the arms of Rutger, and Cam launched himself after them. They hastened to start catching, though it was an awkward process – if Ash or Cam happened to catch a fish at a time when one slipped from Lillian's hand, they would drop it as if having made a horrendous mistake; and if Lillian caught a fish and they couldn't even see one near them, the boys would sprint madly through the water in search of prey. Eventually they were forced to spread out, watching each other from a distance as they clung to their own pool of victims.

Lillian had already caught thirteen fish when she began to trek carefully through the water, approaching Ash with a tilted head. "You and Cam…you were telling the truth, then?"

"No, I hate him."

"Ash."

"Yes. We patched things up in the best way possible and now we are pleased as punch, as a dear friend of mine would say. Why else would he join a competition like this? Cam isn't the game playing type, you know." Despite the topic at hand, Ash had not been able to stop the joyous grin that was spreading across his face at the prospect of Lillian approaching _him_ and not the other way around for once.

This delight, however, was quickly turned to disappointment as she glanced over at Cam, who was trying to catch up to Lillian's thirteen with desperate attempts. He wasn't the best competitor, that much was clear, but he couldn't be faulted for trying. Ash smiled slightly and then turned expectantly to Lillian, who said softly, "Is he alright? He seems…really down today. When Rose and Rutger were talking to us early, he just…I don't know, I've never seen him so upset."

Ash met her eyes for a moment, and they held each others gaze for longer than either had anticipated. Lillian's violet eyes shone with worry, but there was still a faint blush on her cheeks to be looked at so intensely. Her lips were puckered in a slight frown, her clothes soaked from the waist down, the tips of her hair dripping. Ash took in everything he could of her, and then looked back to Cam, who was victoriously holding his thirteenth fish. When he turned back to Lillian, it was with a forced grin that he fell back onto the grass and patted the spot beside him. "Sit next to me and let's have a chat about Cam. You have enough fish already, don't you?"

Lillian raised her eyebrows and then crouched beside him, resting her head against her knees. "I guess so. What's wrong with him?"

"He's just got a lot on his mind lately. Cam isn't one to talk about what's bothering him, so it's up to me to pry it out of him…but sometimes I can't. And sometimes I wait weeks, months, _seasons_ for him to fess up and tell me what's going on…and that time never comes. And it's…it's really frustrating. He thinks I'm against him, but I'm really not, at all. I would never have…I mean…if he would just _tell_ me! But I don't know anything about him even though I'm the one who should know the most about him and…" Ash heaved a great sigh and rested his head in his hands. "I don't know. It's impossible to know what's bothering Cam."

A long pause went by, and then Lillian murmured, one hand on Ash's shoulder, "Are _you_okay?"

Ash looked up at her, surprise evident on his face for a moment, and then grinned, waving her off. "Of course! I'm fine. Look, Eileen is about to call it quits and you'll be announced the official winner – what a surprise."

He wore such a cheerful expression it was hard to doubt him, but Lillian did anyways. She frowned at him even as he held his hand out to her and pulled her up to her feet. Eileen fired her gun and called everyone towards her for official counting. "You go ahead and meet up with Cam, I'm going to check and see how Cheryl did," Ash told her, putting his fingertips against the small of her back and pushing her forward. She stumbled ahead several steps and then glanced back at him, a worried air about her. Ash's grin held out, however, and she continued walking until she fell into step with Cam.

Ash waited until all had passed by and then reached into his bucket, grabbed one flopping fish, and tossed it back into the water.

* * *

Cam and Lillian found themselves sitting next to the Goddess Spring atop a rather dull white blanket, a meal of Howard's doing awaiting them. Both were too nervous to eat, speak, or even look at each other, and decided to stare into the Spring instead. Had they spoken, it would have been about the one thing troubling both of them – Ash.

Finally Lillian leaned forward, saying, "How have you been lately, Cam?" He spun about at the question so quickly he found that they were nearly touching, and both jolted back, faces burning. When they dared to look at each other again, it was with tentative, awkward smiles.

"I've been…ah…good…busy."

"Oh? With what?" It was clear she was trying to politely hold a conversation, but she had already ruined it by unraveling Cam's lie. Of course he wasn't busy – he hardly did anything all day. He hesitated and then said, "Uh...selling flowers and…hanging out with Ash…?"  
Lillian nodded, looking off into the distance with pursed lips. The pit in Cam's stomach grew as he realized why he had been so furious watching her with Ash earlier. Even in their most awkward of situations, they fell together naturally. Here, at a situation that could have been used as a fantastic opportunity by his best friend, Cam found it impossible to even keep a conversation going.

He didn't have the connection that Lillian had with Ash, and he wasn't sure he ever would.

"I'm glad you and Ash seem to be closer!" Lillian announced, smiling at him. It was such a genuine, kind smile that Cam felt himself relax. This was the girl who had been his friend before her confession. This was the girl who had spoken to him and who he had spoken to as though it were as natural as the wind in the air, the still of the night. What had happened that had caused them to spring apart so radically? Had it not, would they have the same sort of bond she and Ash had?

"Yeah, it's hard to stay mad at him long," Cam murmured, fussing with his hair.

"I didn't know you were _angry _at each other…"

Cam's cheeks flushed. "Well, uh, yeah. Sort of. It's complicated. We still have the same problems and everything, it's just…er…well…I guess you could say…we decided to try and stay friends through it all anyways."

Lillian didn't laugh at him or make a face like he had expected. She offered up another smile and said, "Want to talk about it?"

Cam hesitated and then, for the first time in months, found that he did. "It's just…we had a bit of a falling out because we were both…interested in the same goal and knew we couldn't both get it. You know, in a town like this…there's a lot of competition going on, and we've both always handled that well, but…I think that's only because there's never been a time we really wanted something in our lives to change. We've always been so content but…we both suddenly wanted something different at the same time and that made us angry at each other and we stopped spending so much time together…but it's impossible to really break apart a friendship that's lasted that long. We figured that even if neither of us got what we wanted, we'd still be there to laugh at the other about it. Now I just hope we're able to keep that in mind as time continues to pass."

He expected her to frown in confusion or shrug her shoulders – he had made it as confusing as possible to ensure she wouldn't be able to grasp the main issue. His words were stuttered, pensive, and his pauses enormous; still, when he finished the corners of her lips turned up and her eyes met his. "I'm sure you will. Ash cares a lot about you, and you care a lot about him. I don't think that's a friendship that can be broken by anything. I'm glad things are getting better."

Cam hesitated, searching her eyes for some sort of teasing or lying, and found nothing but genuine concern. He grinned and replied, "Me too."

"Want to eat what Howard made for us now?" Lillian asked, offering him a plate. "I'm pretty glad I didn't have to eat this all by myself. It's a bit much for one person."

"Then I'm glad I can help you," Cam replied, his fingertips brushing against hers as he took the plate. They looked at each other for a moment and then both of them smiled, layering their plates with treats and teasing each other about their performance in the competition.

* * *

"Why did you do that?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Ash replied calmly, hands in his pockets. He was leaning against his doorway, facing a very anxious florist. It was past seven, all the lights in town were beginning to flicker off, and his mother was glaring at him for letting the draft in. He sighed and stepped outside, letting the door close behind him. "Care to elaborate?"

Cam rolled his eyes, which surprised his friend, who couldn't recall seeing Cam get annoyed with him first. "You had thirteen fish. I _know _you had thirteen fish, because I lost track of Lillian and had to keep track of how many _you _caught. So why were you not there at our picnic today? Why was it just me and her?"

"Didn't you have a nice time?" Ash asked. "I would think you'd be a little cheerier. She does that to people."

"I…" Cam had already faltered, and in doing so, revealed that he had. A rather humorless smile was on Ash's lips as their eyes met. "Well…I did have fun. We talked about lots of things and she really…she really did cheer me up. But I don't want to think that while I was out there with Lillian, you were sitting here by yourself-"

"I was with Cheryl," Ash interrupted. "We had pudding."

Cam rolled his eyes once more, shaking his head. "Come on, Ash! Be serious. Why did you do it? You threw that entire thing even though you were the one who came up with the idea in the first place. You could have had a great time with her. So why didn't you?"

Ash smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "It's late, Cam. Go get some sleep. You have to head out to town tomorrow, don't you? So go, go, get on out of here. I'll see you Tuesday." However, even as he opened the door, he turned his head so Cam could barely see one of his eyes, and murmured, "You and Lillian have this sort of attraction that…I can't compete with. It wouldn't have mattered how many fish I caught today. She wanted to go with you, and you wanted to go with her. So I gave you two what you wanted."

And with that, he promptly shut and locked the door behind him. Cam lifted his hand to knock, preparing an argument, and then stopped. Is this how it feels, he wondered, to care for someone that someone else likes too? Knowing that no matter what, someone is hurt?

And knowing, despite all that, you're still happy?


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This chapter is rather dramatic in comparison to what I usually write, but I thought it was necessary to move the story along. To all of you who are hoping Lillian ends up with one character or another, I just want you to keep in mind that I hope to jerk you around a bit in that field, haha. So don't lose hope until I announce it's the last chapter. :P It's all up in the air at this point. I'm writing this _before _penning the chapter just because I know it's going to be full of all the wonderful questions people have when they like each other. I hope you enjoy reading and I once again thank you for the reviews. They were a pleasant surprise upon returning home. (:  
_

* * *

_ Cam was no stranger to letting people down. When he was seventeen years old, ready to head into his senior year of high school, his mother had cupped his rather slim face in her hand and asked him to just try, _please _try to go out for the football team. "Your father was the star quarterback," she confided in him with a wink. "So was my father, _and _his father. It's in your blood." If she had been more honest, she would have said, "The gardening club is for girls, Cam, and you are no girl, and I did not raise you to be a girl. I already have one of those."_

_So because Cam already knew how much his mother disproved of his hobbies, he tried out for the football team. He found himself bruised beyond recognition upon returning home, and quietly told his mother he had been cut from the team. That was not the truth. After try outs, he had walked up to the coach and mumbled that football was not for him. The disappointment on both of their faces was surprisingly painful._

_ His father did not give up hope, though his mother stopped bothering with him after that. All throughout Cam's senior year he instructed him on the benefits of being a lawyer. "Think of all the money you'll make!" he told him, grinning and elbowing him in a manner that left Cam frowning. "You'll have enough to support us for the rest of our lives. Your sister will never have to want something again – not like she does now. A lawyer is someone who can really be proud of his job. Now a gardener…where's the pride in that?"_

_ Cam did not argue that he thought there was plenty of pride in doing something you loved, which should have been his first tip off that he wasn't cut out for being a lawyer. When his father paid ten thousand hard earned dollars (part of it taken from his retirement fund) he promised to pay it back tenfold. What actually happened, however, was that he returned home a semester later with the status of "dismissed," admitting in hushed tones that he hadn't been able to deliver any of the speeches for his finals – that he hadn't even made it past general education courses. His father told him he could live in the house rent free, but the look on his face made his opinion clear – Cam had wasted his money and disappointed him once again. He was no son of his father._

_ Only his sister clung to his side. Much like Ash's sister, she was hopelessly dedicated to her brother and thought gardening wasn't so bad, and it was okay if Cam didn't like speaking out in front of people much because she got kind of shy too, and that was normal, wasn't it? Cam would walk her to and from her elementary school every day – until she day she asked him to stop. The day they passed by two men screaming at a younger girl – younger than his sister – for spilling juice on their shoes. "Aren't you going to do something?" his sister had demanded. "You're older, you're _supposed _to help people! You can't just watch someone getting their feelings hurt and do nothing!"_

_ "It's better to stay out of conflict like that," Cam replied in a mild tone, pulling harder on his sister's hand. She stared at him, her jaw dropped, and he watched as her perception of the perfect brother shattered._

_ After that, the overwhelming stench of disappointment in his home grew to be too much. Cam moved to Bluebell, where he could sell the flowers he grew and live a quiet life, not getting the chance to fail anyone else. He hadn't expected Howard and Laney to become like a second family to him, he hadn't expected to grow to know Georgia so well, and he had never, ever thought he would have a best friend like Ash. _

_ But now, as he stood in the second floor of Howard's house, looking through the man's bookcase – which, in all honesty, was only an excuse – he chanced another look outside and saw that best friend still holding the girl he should have said he loved too. Then that would be him down there, holding her. They probably would have done more than hug. His cheeks flushed, and he turned away, staring fixedly at the bookcase. There was a reason he wasn't down there, he reminded himself. _

_ To be loved by someone was to disappoint them, and he couldn't stand to see the same look on her face that had graced his parents' and sister's. In time, she would forget this all had happened and move on to a normal, happy life. Of all the people in the world, Cam especially didn't want her to be let down._

* * *

Only a few days had passed since the hand-fishing competition, but it was still the talk of the town. Lillian couldn't help but smile at that. She had to admire a place so small and tight knit that one big event lasted in gossip for a week. She had already heard the dreaded rumor that she had cheated, that Cam had cheated, that the win was rightfully someone else's, but she pushed those from her head. It had happened last year, too, after Howard had won. It was hard not to doubt others when you looked around and saw constant flubbing in such a ridiculous sport.

As she passed by Georgia and Laney, who were talking excitedly outside Howard's shop, she caught a trickle of the gossip _they _were exchanging. "…like a date," Laney was giggling. "I wonder how it went, you know?"

Lillian stepped a little closer, and Georgia turned to her with a jump. "You gave me a right scare there!" She exclaimed, chuckling at herself. "We were just talkin' 'bout you too. Want to answer some of our questions?"

The farmer glanced hesitantly over her shoulder. Cam was tending to his flower stand, but was a good several feet away from the girls and looked rather uninterested in their chatter. She returned her gaze to them with a polite smile, not seeing any way to refuse, and said, "Well, sure. If I can, I mean. What are you two wondering about?"

"We were wondering if…" Laney hesitated, giggling slightly. Lillian raised an eyebrow, feeling a nervous leap in her chest. It was obvious she had just been cornered into a conversation regarding her affections. "Well, did you and Cam set up that win for the competition?"

Georgia laughed as well, hopping onto one of Howard's tables. Lillian looked at both girls in shock – the realization that people actually thought that came as a surprise that also made her feel foolish for not expecting the rumors. "No, of course not!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "It was really just a coincidence. I didn't know Cam had caught that many fish until Rutger and Eileen counted."

Laney and Georgia exchanged a look that suggested they only half-believed her, and unbeknownst to Lillian, they were half-right. Finally the red head smiled and said, "That's not as romantic as we were thinking, but…did you two treat it like a date when you realized it was just the two of you?"

Lillian's eyes flashed open again, her cheeks growing hot instantaneously. The girls giggled at this reaction, and Lillian tried in vain to settle them. Ash had recently joined Cam, and both were glancing over at the trio. "Shh, shh!" The brunette exclaimed, looking from the flower stand to them. Her eyes caught Ash's briefly and she felt a jolt in her, forcing herself to turn and face them. "It wasn't like that _at all_. We just talked, that's it!"

Neither of them were letting Lillian off that easy. "And what did you talk about?" Laney asked, winking.

She didn't want to tell them, but Lillian was reluctant to lie to the girls. They had been nothing but kind to her since she had arrived, after all. "Er…well…we talked about something that had been troubling Cam and then we talked about how funny everyone looked during the competition."

"Well if you don't say," Georgia exclaimed, a rather impressed look on her face. "I haven't heard that boy say a single word regarding himself in all the years I've known him! You must be pleased as punch with yourself. Getting that boy to talk about himself is like getting a wild horse into a bridle. If having a personal chat like that over dinner isn't a date, I don't know what is."

Lillian hadn't realized the immensity of the conversation until that moment. The comprehension crashed upon her like a torrent of rain – in all the time she had spent in Bluebell, Cam had never willingly confided in her until that day. She chanced a look over her shoulder at him to see that he and Ash had already forgotten the girls, and were rolling their eyes at each other and laughing. Laney and Georgia laughed seeing her look over at him, and she turned back with a hesitant, "It didn't _feel_like a date…I mean…it was just…hanging out…"

"Why don't you ask him what he thought of it?" Laney asked. Lillian would have laughed if she hadn't seen the serious expression on the blonde's face. "I'm sure he'll tell _you_. Just ask him if he considered it a date. Go ahead and tell him we were giving you a hard time about it. Just make sure you tell us what he says."

"I…I don't know…"

"Oh, go on," Georgia chuckled, giving her a gentle shove towards the flower stand. "It can't hurt to ask."

Lillian found herself only a foot from Ash and Cam, who were both surveying her with raised eyebrows and a hint of confusion. "What did you want to ask?" Ash called out, seizing her hand and pulling her closer. She stumbled into the flower stand, barely able to steady it with her free hand. Her cheeks were burning too much to even look at either of the boys.

In all the time she had spent with Cam, she had never, ever considered it to be a date. And as time passed by, and as she continued to grow stronger and more independent, she told herself that her love for Cam had faded with the seasons. Now, being confronted with the possibility that her affections still lingered…

Her grip on Ash's hand tightened, and she took off, yanking him after her. He stumbled initially and then ran beside her, raising his eyebrows. "Is there a reason for this?"

"No, I thought it was a good time for a jog."

"Well, that's reasonable."

Lillian shot him a dark look, stopping to rest near the shipping box. She leaned against it, returning her hands to herself. "Georgia and Laney are pressuring me to ask Cam whether or not he considered having that picnic with me after the competition a date because I said _I _didn't consider it a date, but they think he must have, but I don't _think _he did and if I ask him he'll probably think I still haven't gotten over my pathetic little crush and it would just be so embarrassing but what if they were _right_ and he actually _did _consider it a date, because when I told him that he told me something personal they were all _wow, that's a first_, and I didn't think it was weird, but it was kind of weird, and I don't know what to think now-"

Ash set a finger to her lips, a strained smile on his face. "Lil…did you really not consider it a date?"  
"No, I didn't think of it like that at _all_!"

"But in retrospect?"

A long silence passed between them. Ash's hand still lingered awfully close to her face, and she stared up at him with widened eyes that betrayed her. "I…well…it was very date-like, when I look back at it. We talked about something important to him and we had dinner together and he walked me home…it was…sort of…but it's only a date if both people consider it to be a date! So it's not a date, because there's no way Cam would actually want to go out on a date with me. He wouldn't think of it like that."

"You would be surprised at what people think, Lillian. For example…when I told you I was fighting with Cam about you, what did you think I meant?"

His eyes were harsh for the first time ever, his lips pursed and firm. Lillian had never seen the light leave him in such a manner. His hand had fallen onto her shoulder, and his grip tightened. For the first time ever, a look of desperation had struck him. "I thought that you…might…I don't know…" Lillian drifted off and then let her eyes fall to the ground as she murmured, "Like me."

Ash stared at her and then laughed. "Well, there you go!" He turned away, tossing his hands into the air. "I didn't mean that I liked you. I meant that I hated to see Cam jerk you around the way he had been and we had been arguing over that. Do you see what I mean? You can think one thing while the other person is thinking something _completely _different…and Cam is the same way. Maybe he did have feelings for you all this time. You won't know until you ask him."

Lillian stared at his back for several long moments in which he refused to turn around. Her eyes were suddenly burning. She couldn't pinpoint why, but she felt an intense desire to hit him. "Oh," she replied in a meek voice. "How dumb of me. I'm sorry. That's why I've been acting so strange around you lately, and…I had no reason to. Thanks for the talk, Ash. If you think it's a good idea then…then I guess I will go to Cam and ask him."

"Be my guest," Ash replied, jamming his hands into his pockets.

The next few moments were perhaps the most painful either had ever experienced. Realizing that for the first time since getting to know him Ash was not going to comfort her left Lillian rather awestruck. She wanted him to turn and treat her the way he always had. A dull pain caused her chest to ache, and she found that even while feeling like she would never move again, her feet began to carry her past him. She was behind him, next to him, in front of him. "Okay," she stated weakly, but hesitated, knowing there must be something else to say.

Nothing came to mind. Her walk continued, past Cheryl's narrowed eyes, Grady's raised eyebrows, Enrique and Diego's offers for help, and right past Georgia and Laney, who opened their mouths to ask her what was going on and them promptly snapped them shut upon seeing the stricken look on her face. She marched up to Cam, coming to stand behind his flower stand with him, and looked up into his eyes.

He stared down at her, looking quite stunned. "Ah…are you…um...did...Lillian?" he murmured, leaning his head to the side as if he could get a better look at her. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she mumbled.

"Ah. Okay then. Will a flower make you a little happier?" he asked, gesturing towards the sunflowers.

In spite of herself, Lillian smiled. "Not this time," she replied in a soft voice. "I…I just…I thought…"

"You thought what?" Cam asked, tilting his head to the side. "Did something happen…with Ash?"

Those were the magic words. One moment Lillian and Cam were staring at each other, the faint breeze of summer tickling Cam's face with the tips of Lillian's hair, brushing her skirt against his pants leg. The next, all of Lillian was pressed against Cam as she flung herself into him, burying her face in his chest and letting loose a choked sob. Cam's first reaction was to pull away, but he quickly amended himself, putting an arm around her and holding her in place. He looked over at Laney and Georgia, who exchanged a nervous look, and then out towards where she had run off to before. Ash was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm so stupid," Lillian whispered. "It happened again."

Cam looked down at her again, seeing her blotchy face gazing up at him for a moment before returning to its place in his shirt. "You're not stupid," he murmured. "I'm…I…I'll be right back, alright? Laney, Georgia, come here!"

Both girls looked amazed to be commanded by Cam, but hurried to Lillian, pulling her into a group hug. Lillian clung to Cam's shirt for a moment before letting go. He winced, feeling foolish even as he went. He understood what Ash had meant before now. He didn't want her to go to him just before Ash wouldn't have her. For the first time in years, Cam ran, straight down the path Lillian had dragged Ash.

The boy was sitting in front of the shipping box, leaning against it. He didn't seem to mind that he was resting in dirt, or that his hat had fallen from his head onto the dusty floor as well. His eyes were gleaming with unshed tears, and he stared very hard out at Lillian's house. When he heard footsteps, he turned with a near hopeful look on his face and then rolled his eyes, staring down at his feet instead.

"What are you doing?" Cam asked, his voice low. The tone was enough to catch Ash's attention, but not hold it. "What are you _doing_?"

"What are _you_ doing?" Ash returned, making a face. "She went over there to ask you a question, you know. Want me to tell you what it was? Georgia and Laney asked her whether or not she considered having that picnic with you to be a date. She didn't – at first. After talking to me, she realized maybe it was a date, but only if you considered it a date. She went to find out if that's what you thought it was. I'm wasting my time, constantly being available to her, and I'm tired of it! It's not getting anywhere. I'm going to end up just like her after _you_let her down."

He thumped his head back against the shipping bin and stared at the clouds drifting slowly across the sky. Cam stared at him in disbelief. For a moment, he considered merely walking away – returning to Lillian, perhaps, and comforting her in Ash's stead. But when he thought of that look in her eyes…of that intense disappointment…

Without thinking, he seized the front of Ash's shirt and heaved him into a standing position, pushing him back into a tree. The boy's eyes flew open in shock, their faces only inches apart. "You're acting like a pathetic child," Cam snapped. "Do you want _me _to tell you what she did when she found me? She cried, because you hurt her. You're the reason you're upset right now and you're the reason she's upset right now. Don't blame me, and don't blame her."

They stared at each other, Cam's chest heaving with anger and Ash staring at his friend as though he had just seen him for the first time. "I know," he whispered finally. "I know I'm acting lame. But I can't help it. She told me she thought, when I said…you know…that she was the reason we were fighting…that I liked her. She knew it, but she didn't say anything at all. I couldn't…I…I told her that wasn't true, which was obviously a lie. Obviously. So…why did she believe me? If I make it so obvious I like her, if she reacted in such a way to thinking I didn't like her...why didn't she ever try to talk to me? What - _who_- is she waiting for?"

Cam hesitated, his hand still clenched in a fist around Ash's shirt that kept him to the tree, and then let go. "I'm sorry."

"Forget it." Ash dusted his shirt off, heaving a sigh. "Such is life. Hey, now that I've thrown a hissy fit to rival Cheryl's, I can wallow in both self-pity and self-hate." Despite his words, the eyes that met Cam's were grateful.

"You made Lillian cry too now, you know." Cam pointed out, his head tilted to the side. "I guess that means…"

"Yeah," Ash grinned in a rather dour manner. "It means I don't have that leverage over you anymore. Both of us stand a fair, equal chance and have a fair, equal opportunity to go after her. It could go either way at this point…don't you think? Or are you too scared to confront her the way you just confronted me?"

Cam looked away, covering his mouth. Looking back at his actions…how had he been able to do that? _"You can't just watch someone getting their feelings hurt and do nothing!" _It seemed like he was finally, finally, finally ready to stand up and do something. If he saw those men picking on a little girl at that moment, he wouldn't walk by with no words. If his father spent ten thousand dollars on college for him again, he wouldn't waste the money – he'd do his best in his general ed until he found a way to convince his dad being a lawyer wasn't for him. If his mother tried once more to get him on the football team, he'd give it a shot.

He would never be able to truly disappoint someone if he gave them his all.

"Well, I told her I'd be right back," he grinned, a crooked smirk hanging on his lips as he turned and began to rush back towards the flower stand. Ash hastened to follow him, laughing when they turned and met each others eyes.

"She's crying for _me_ now, not you. I think she'd rather hear my apology."

"It didn't seem she went to you for comfort."

"And it's the first time she didn't."

All this time after Cam had discovered Ash loved Lillian as much as he did, he finally felt nothing holding him back, allowing him to run right beside his friend. Ash glanced over at the florist and smiled to himself. He wouldn't feel guilty anymore about moving in on someone his friend had loved first.

They were on equal footing for the first time.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Haha, Ash's actions in this chapter were inspired by something my friend did for me in real life, and I hope you guys are as amused by it as I was. :P As always your reviews are lovely and greatly appreciated. This story is rapidly winding to its close. Only a couple of chapters remain after this – maybe just one and an epilogue. I really love this chapter, and it's one of my longest yet haha! I hope you all enjoy it too. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

_ Nothing ever happened in Bluebell._

_ Ash had spent his entire life helping his mother out with the animals, trying to goad Laney into playing a genuine game with him late into the night, and pestering Rose and Rutger for attention. When Georgia came, he found he had lost his main source of amusement. Laney had never been much of a playmate – she hated bugs, most animals, and in general everything to do with the outdoors. So when Georgia, a self-proclaimed tomboy, rolled into town with her father, Ash had high hopes that either she would rub off on Laney a bit or she could take the girl's place for him._

_ She did neither. Georgia replaced Ash instead, becoming Laney's gossip gatherer and baking assistant. He was reduced to sitting on the fence, staring at the townspeople pass by. Every once and a while he spoke to Eileen or Grady or Howard, but adults didn't amuse him much. When his mother announced she was pregnant he had been initially hopeful, but as time passed and a rather dull baby sister was all he had to show for it, those hopes too were dashed._

_ So Ash's life was reduced to working and watching and waiting for something big to happen, because he knew that _something _big had to happen. He did not have much to complain about. He was an average boy. His father had never been around, but his mother had been just fine, and Cheryl was alright for the most part. He got three meals a day and took warm baths and his clothes were never worn out. Life should have been great, at his little ranch, but it was far from it – for Ash was always waiting for that something big._

_ When news of a boy moving to town reached him, he was already seventeen years old. "The boy is a year older than you," Howard confided. "He's had a tough time. Not a very optimistic fellow, or particularly open. Friendly, but…well…very shy, I suppose. You be nice to him, Ash."_

_ Ash was _of course _going to be nice to him! This was his chance to finally have a real friend. He made due with hanging out with Laney and Georgia as often as they would have him, but their conversations were dull and their hobbies even worse. Another guy around town…maybe they would end up being as close as those two girls, and they would be able to do all the things Ash always wanted to do but felt too ridiculous doing by himself. When it was decided that the boy would be arriving several days before his birthday, Ash knew it was fate. _Finally_, he would have something to do._

_But Cam was not what he had expected at all. When meeting for the first time, he did not respond at all to Ash's enthusiastic greeting. He merely stood beside Howard, motionless as a statue, and watched. The next day, when Ash sought him out, he continued to stare. And the next day, and the next day, and the next day. When Cam opened his flower stand, Ash was the first customer, calling out his regular, "Hey, Cam, how's it going?"_

_"…Fine," the boy replied. "Do you want something?"_

_ "That's really not a way to talk to a customer. You should sound like each purchase is a blessing. That's what my mom says, at least."_

_ "Your mom runs the animal store by the entrance to town," Cam answered without looking up._

_ Ash's eyebrows raised momentarily. "How'd you know that?"_

_ "You told me when we first met."_

_ "You were…actually listening to me?" Ash tried to contain his excitement. For the first time, Cam was actually communicating. Ash had been prepared to reach the conclusion that he was merely too annoying to befriend or even bother with, but here was solid evidence that he might be wrong – that perhaps it was something in Cam that made him difficult to befriend, and not his own character flaw._

_ The corners of Cam's lips twitched in what could have been a smile, had he not been skilled enough at learning how to suppress those. "Of course. Your name is Ash. Your mom's name is Jessica. Your little sister is Cheryl. You've lived here your whole life. You take care of the animals for your mom. I listened."_

_ Ash stared at the boy for a moment and then grinned. "Want to hear some more?"_

_ Cam glanced out at the town – all possible customers were waiting in their houses, taking care of their individual business. "I've got time," he said finally, glancing back at the boy. _

_ Ash grinned and launched into a new conversation._

* * *

"So, when are you planning on actually talking to him?" Cam asked curiously, shooting a glance at Lillian. It was well into the middle of summer and Lillian had absolutely _refused _to communicate with Ash, who found this to be rather harsh. "She still talked to you when I suggested it even though you took her heart and tore it to pieces!" he complained. "Can't you suggest she talk to me?"

But Cam had, and it had been to no avail. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something more to this situation than what he was seeing. Nonetheless, he enjoyed the time he got to spend with Lillian, and smiled at her as she sat at the end of his flower stand, examining a bottle of perfume. The air was so stagnant beads of sweat were beginning to form beneath her bangs, but she hadn't complained once. He found himself admiring her for more than just that as she turned to him and said, "Never."

"Well, that's a little harsh."

"Hmph."

"You can't avoid him forever. He'll find you sooner or later."

"I know Ash better than he thinks I do," Lillian replied quite calmly, smiling over at the florist with a rather smug air about her. "I know that his mother will not let him off work before her birthday, which is tomorrow, which means no sudden visits over here, so I am perfectly safe. If I'm out of here by three thirty, I won't have to run into him. If I go to Konohana, he refuses to come after me. His sister goes chasing after him by eight every night, demanding he help her with his mother's birthday present, so I get home after eight."

Cam leaned against the table beside her, propping his head up on his hand. "And what are you going to do after Jessica's birthday?"

"Move to Konohana."

He sighed, shaking his head. Lillian refused to talk about Ash very long, and often decided to change the subject once they got to this point of the conversation. He tried to think of something quickly, something that would cheer Ash up a smidge, before she decided to do just that. "Er…are you…going to go to Jessica's party?"

"Of course. She's been so nice to me it would be rude if I didn't go. I know what you're thinking…I'll have to talk to Ash there." She folded her hands in her lap, staring down at her swinging feet. Cam noted that for a moment, her cheeks were slightly red – but perhaps it was the heat, he told himself. It was probably just the heat, and he didn't have anything to worry about. "I don't know what I'll say to him, but I'm hoping he…just gives up on this whole thing. I know he probably feels bad because he doesn't like hurting people's feelings, but it's no big deal. He doesn't have to pity me."

Cam tried not to pity her as he stared, but couldn't help it. Her shoulders slumped forward in dejection, her feet stopped bouncing about, her lips tilted downwards in a permanent frown. But _that_, it meant nothing. It had to mean nothing, because if it meant something, Cam would look the same as her instead, and he wasn't ready to accept that. He ruffled her hair and said, "He doesn't pity you. Have you already gotten her birthday present?"

"I thought I'd get a sunflower bouquet from you, actually," Lillian replied, her voice lilting playfully.

"No."

She rolled her eyes, but laughed as he grinned and set to work putting together her bouquet. "You know, you've really changed quite a bit recently. A lot more outgoing and…less private. It's nice. But…why?"

Cam hesitated and then finished tying the bouquet, placing it gently in her outstretched hands. He kept his there for a moment, holding her eyes. "If you want something you have to be willing to act like you want it. It's weird for me to act this way, but important that I do. Anyways, it's almost three thirty, you better get going before Ash comes."

Lillian did not blush the way Cam did, instead speaking in a steady voice as she bid him farewell and hurried down the street towards the mountain path to Konohana. She had lingered too long while talking to Cam today. There was a good chance that Jessica would let Ash out slightly early in hopes he would use the time to gather some sort of birthday present, and if she let him out now, he would see her and chase her down again, and there was nobody she could latch onto this time around, as Laney and Georgia were chatting at Howard's as usual. Her footsteps quickened, she held her breath, she was past the feed store…

"Lillian!"

She stopped in her tracks, eyes narrowed. He wouldn't _dare_…would he? She spun to see that yes, Ash would dare to hold his little sister up before him as bait. The blonde wriggled about cheerfully in her brother's arms. She wondered how much convincing it had taken to get her to do this. Ash stood behind her and winked when Lillian caught his eyes, which made her glare at him. Still, it was with a hint of amusement that she approached the little girl and knelt before her, giving her ample opportunity to squirm from Ash's grasp and onto the floor before her. "Yes, _Cheryl_?"

"You're coming to mom's birthday party tomorrow, right?" the little girl asked, rubbing her toe into the dirt with a shy smile. Lillian knew better than to trust that smile. It was the one that demanded extra cake when she had already gotten extra slices from three other people, the smile that told her yes, my mom knows I'm here, and earned Lillian an hour long lecture when it was discovered that no, my mom actually does not know I'm here.

Still, she was cute. Lillian smiled at her, letting herself relax a little. "Of course. I already got her a present and everything."

Ash crouched beside his sister, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Did it happen to be flowers?"

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to your sister."

"Cheryl," Ash sighed.

"Did it happen to be flowers?" Cheryl asked, clasping her hands before her with a new sweet smile on her lips. There was a flower tucked into her hair, and she pulled it free to pass over to the farmer. Lillian took it suspiciously between two fingers, glancing at Ash with distaste.

"Well…yes. I got her a bouquet of flowers I thought she would like. Your mom always has flowers in her shop, anyways."

"Are you dating the flower boy?"

Ash cleared his throat, shaking his head and giving his sister a shake as well. "Now Cheryl, that was not what we talked about earlier. Let's stick to the matter at hand, okay?"

"But that's what you really _want _to know," Cheryl taunted, a grin on her face. _Now that,_ Lillian noted as she observed the devilish expression spread, _is more like her. _Ash tried to hush her up, but she pressed on, pulling her brother's hands from her mouth and saying, "Ash will be disappointed if you say you're going out with Cam."

Perhaps, under different circumstances, this would have left Lillian blushing. Now, however, it caused her to rise to her feet and turn away. "No. I'm not dating Cam. And if you want to know something, ask me yourself, Ash…not that I think you even really care."

She hadn't meant to sound so angry, but once the words left her lips they were impossible to bring back. All the time that had passed had left her bitter. The first time she felt the pain of a broken heart, she had been so bewildered and miserable there was no room left in her for anger. Now, knowing that Ash – Ash, who had _never _hurt her before – had been the culprit, she felt a constant desire to slap him across the face. Considering that was out of the question (for she was partly afraid that if she struck Ash his sister would leap upon her and beat her with her tiny fists) she was left to speak venomous words that were quite unlike her. She stomped off towards Konohana in a huff – that boy brought out the very worst in her, which hurt her even more when she remembered that he used to bring out the best.

Cheryl, having played her part rather abysmally, offered up a small shrug to her brother and ran back to her mom before he could even explain how frustrated he was to her. He threw his hands up in the air, sighing, and said, "Why couldn't she just stick to the script?"

"You're getting pretty desperate now," Cam noted, putting a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "Using your sister was bound to backfire. The less time you spend with Lillian, the more time you spend with her – that's how she sees it, anyway."

Ash rolled his eyes, but he was nodding his head as well. "I figured that would happen, but I had no other choice. If I try to talk to Lillian just me and her, she takes off. I know I hurt her, and I just want to apologize. I only said that stuff because I thought she really wanted you, but if…if there's even the slightest chance she could still want to be with me…then there's no way I'm just handing her over! I…I really love her…and I want her to know that."

The boys held each other's gaze for a moment, and then Cam smiled, saying simply, "I know. I'm going to go after her then."

"What?" Ash exclaimed, seizing the boy's arm and yanking him back when he tried to walk away. "How can you just leave me here?"  
Cam raised an eyebrow, pulling his arm loose. "You said you wanted me to go after her with everything I've got, just like I said the same for you. Regretting those words now, Ash?"

"No, I'm just saying I'd appreciate another guest at my pity party!"

The florist just laughed once more. "How about this…while I go check and see how Lillian is doing, you try to think of something to do to win her over, alright? Because at this rate I'm not sure she's still joking about moving to Konohana. You irritate her that much."

"And I'm sure that irritates you quite a bit too."

Cam didn't stick around to trade insults with his friend for a moment longer. Ash was right and they both knew it – no point sticking around proving that. He continued after Lillian, wondering how far she could have gone in the short time since she had left Ash. The deeper he was forced into the forest, the more he was forced to confront the truth. Ash had upset Lillian so deeply she couldn't even stand to be around him – and it wasn't that she hated him, either. It was that being around him hurt. Cam grit his teeth and forced himself into a jog. Being around Ash hurt him too.

He finally found her kneeling by the Goddess' spring where they had eaten together what felt like ages ago. He had never gotten a chance to tell her yes, he did consider it a date. It didn't look like now was a good time for that conversation either, because her tears were dripping silently into the pond and she was clenching a fistful of grass, gasping for breath.

"Lillian," he murmured. The word was like a breath that had escaped him, and he was sure it let loose everything he felt for her. How desperately he wished he could turn back time and be brave enough then to know that you couldn't disappoint someone if you tried your best, to know that the real way you disappointed them was by giving up on their dream – especially when their dream was your dream too. But it did not convey his feelings to her, no matter how obviously in love he was at that moment. For when Lillian turned to face him, her tears were for one boy and one boy alone.

"I love him," she whispered. "I love that idiot. How did it come to be that I love _him_, Cam?"

Cam felt his legs give way – or was that him kneeling down voluntarily? It didn't feel like it. It wasn't his hand that reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes, but it must have been – he was wearing the bracelet she had given him for his birthday last year. Her violet eyes shone with tears that were threatening to continue pouring freely. He felt that he would cry as well. Everything about her was a mess, and he wished that she looked like that because of him. "I…I don't know," he murmured, letting his thumb linger on her cheek, wiping stray tears as they came. "I really don't know."

"Why doesn't he love me? I really…I thought…I thought that the reason he spent so much time with me might be because…and he said he was mad at you because…and I thought…I just…" Her words came quicker and quicker until they trailed off into choked sobs that left her gasping for more air, and finally she fell forward against Cam's chest – the second time she did so, both times while crying for Ash. "Why doesn't he love me, Cam? You're his best friend. You must know."

Cam thought of what Ash had told him, a few weeks ago. He had asked his friend what had happened with Lillian after he had broken her heart. "She just asked why you didn't love her," Ash had mumbled, looking off into the distance. "And I was honest with her. I told her the truth – that I didn't know."

"But you did know that I loved her. You go on about that all the time," Cam had replied, his voice turning to impatience. He wanted to know anything that could help him with Lillian.

"Yeah. But I didn't know why you didn't tell her that. If I had known at that moment that you wanted to tell her you loved her…I would have told her you loved her. And I would have marched her in there. But you never told me what was going on…so I didn't know what to do. I told her what I knew, and that was the best I could do."

_"I really love her…and I want her to know that."_

Cam stared down at Lillian and, for a moment, entertained his own feelings. He touched his fingertips to the highlights of her hair, lifting brunette locks to his face, breathing in her faint scent of lavender and strawberries, and dirt, always dirt and dust and animals and sweat and hard work. How had this girl wormed her way into his heart? When had he realized that not being with her was immensely painful? Was this how Ash had felt for the past year…maybe even longer? And how had he managed to bear it with a smile for so long? How had he managed to reach out and befriend Cam again despite knowing his friend was the source of his pain?

When Cam had first moved to Bluebell, he had wanted nothing to do with Ash, but the boy never gave up. He owed who he was as a person – he owed being able to move on from his humiliation and self-hatred left behind from his time at the city – to this one boy to whom he had given nothing but pain and heart ache.

"I do know. I know that he does love you," Cam whispered. Lillian tensed up in his arms and then stared up at him. The hope and excitement in her eyes shot a wave of pain throughout the florist that he didn't expect to disappear for several weeks. Longer, maybe.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she replied. Her voice revealed her anger at him, but she strained herself to continue staring at him, waiting patiently, kindly for his answer. Cam smiled. Lillian had always been kind to him, even when he didn't deserve it.

"I didn't know if he wanted you to know. I know now that he does. So…don't cry. Please."

The words hung between them, and finally Lillian's tear stricken face revealed a hesitant smile. It grew larger by the moment, and finally she threw her arms around Cam's neck, knocking him backwards onto the grass. "Thank you!" she cried out. Her chest shook with the faint laugh that sounded raspy when it left her sore throat. Her voice dropped to a murmur as she repeated, face pressed against his neck, "Oh…thank you Cam…"

Cam felt arms that weren't his wrap around her back and stared up at the bright blue sky – clear as ever. Howard and Laney would say that it was a sign of good things to come. He hoped that was true, for the sake of his friends. He let his eyes flicker shut and smiled – a smile that turned quickly to a laugh. "You're welcome," he told her, but continued to chuckle to himself. _You owe me, Ash. You really do._

* * *

Jessica's party was definitely much more modest in comparison to Ash's, but her home was decorated beautifully and everyone was crammed into the small quarters talking excitedly. She had not let go of the sunflower bouquet Lillian had pressed into her arms with a shy smile, and it made her own grin radiant. Grady, for example, could not take his eyes off of her, and had remained close to her side throughout the party. In much the same manner, Cam lingered close to Lillian, who had worn a brand new outfit to the party and shone with unbridled excitement.

"You're looking pretty cheery today," Georgia grinned, examining the nice dress Lillian was wearing. "And pretty as a flower. It's nice to see you in high spirits."

"Georgia's right, you look _amazing_. It must be you, huh?" Laney asked Cam, elbowing him playfully. The wink she gave him tore through his chest. It would take a while before things like this stopped aching.

"No, it's not about Cam," Lillian mumbled, blushing furiously. From across the kitchen, Ash leaned against a counter, a sullen expression on his face. Cam sighed and crossed over towards him, bumping his shoulder against his friend's as he leaned beside him. "You look down," he noted.

Ash laughed a little, shaking his head. "She really hates me. I couldn't come up with anything to say to her."

"She doesn't hate you. Just…make her listen to you," Cam suggested. "I have a good feeling about tonight."

They met each other's eyes, and then Ash raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were Team Cam on this situation. Helping me apologize to her isn't really going to get you anywhere, you know…so what's up? Please tell me you two aren't already dating and you're setting me up to embarrass myself at my mother's birthday party."

Cam laughed, shaking his head. Ash saw that the laugh did not extend to his eyes. "No…we're not dating. And we're never going to. And that…is okay."

"…Okay, huh?"

"Don't look at me like that," Cam murmured, shaking his head. "It hurts, but not as much as it must have hurt her when I let her down without any explanation – and not as much as it must have hurt you to be in love with someone who was in love with your best friend. Whatever happens between you and Lillian now has nothing to do with me. I have…backed out of this competition, I guess. Besides…I think I want to head home for a little bit."

"What?" Ash exclaimed, his voice rising so loudly it rang out among the room and caught the attention of several people. "You're not going to leave forever, are you? You can't do that-"

"Calm down," Cam mumbled, elbowing his friend. "I'm not leaving forever. Just for a month or so. And I want you to escort me there. There's some people I'd like to see…my family, actually. I want them to see me for as I am now, and I want…I want them to meet you."

Ash stared at his friend, stunned. He had asked Cam about his family several times when the boy had first moved to Bluebell, and had been continuously met with the cold shoulder. He had never before heard him say a single word about them. "Are you…are you asking me out?" he managed weakly. Cam rolled his eyes, grinning, and Ash felt a smile form on his own lips. "I'd love to meet your family. That'd be great."

The florist smiled at the rancher, and then they clasped each other's hands and hugged, laughing about their entire predicament. "Stop bothering with me already," Cam told him, patting him on the back and pulling away. "Go do something about her already. I can't stand to talk to the two of you when you're so obviously in love with each other, it's embarrassing."

They both knew that wasn't the truth, but Ash smiled and nodded. "I…I really appreciate it, Cam. I know…"

"There is nobody better suited for that girl then you," Cam mumbled, looking away. The honesty seared through him, but he acknowledged it all the same. "You can always make her smile, and she can always make _you_ smile. That's what I want for the both of you. So hurry up before Laney and Georgia steal her from you."

Ash didn't hesitate any longer. He grinned at his friend and then jumped atop a table, clearing his throat loudly. Lillian looked up at him in horror, and his mother turned with a hopeful, expectant look on her face that made Cam laugh.

"This is my mother's forty – oh, sorry mom…okay, stop glaring at me like that! This is my mom's _thirty_-seventh birthday and I want to give a speech about what a wonderful mother she's been." He smiled out at the crowd – the same sickeningly sweet smile Cheryl charmed everyone with. Lillian narrowed her eyes doubtfully. When his met hers, she felt a jolt run through her and blushed. He just smiled, his eyes never leaving her as he said, "But first, I want to apologize to someone whose feelings I hurt terribly very recently. Lillian…I told you that you would be surprised what people think. That you can think one thing while the other person is thinking something completely different. When I told you everything that day…_I_ was thinking something completely different. I said I only hated to see Cam bother you, but that was a lie. I was thinking the exact same thing you were thinking…and I have been since I first met you."

The silence in the room was tangible. Lillian was covering her mouth, staring up at him in shock. Her eyes drifted to Cam, who smiled at her, and then back to Ash, who was staring at her with a hopeful expression. Laney and Georgia looked as though they had been struck, and stared ahead with vacant, stunned expressions.

"Anyways," Ash continued, "Mom, it's been real. Thanks for everything, and happy birthday!" He jumped down from the table before anyone could voice their confusion, and gestured for Lillian to head outside. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and followed him as he walked out his front door. Ash tried to suppress the pounding in his chest.

For the second time in his life, he was waiting for something big to happen.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Well, now I can talk freely about last chapter haha! I know a lot of you were expecting some sort of battle between Cam and Ash after the last chapter's predecessor, but I did say I wanted to surprise you haha. This will technically be the last chapter, though I will be including an epilogue after this. I'll share all my post-story feelings in that author's note. :P Once again, your reviews are always welcome and greatly appreciated. Thank you all for reading this story!_

* * *

"_Love. Of course, love. Flames for a year, ashes for thirty."_

_The Leopard - Giuseppe Di Lampedusa_

* * *

_ Avoiding Ash, Lillian decided, was a rather dismal hobby. Her mornings were spent fraternizing with the town in limited bursts and her evenings were spent foraging through the Konohana mountains when all she really wanted to do was go back to how things had been up until very recently. She hadn't expected to yearn for the time spent bickering with Ash through the empty streets of Bluebell, barking at him to stop interfering with her farm work, listening to him lecture her about the importance of moving on. When she thought of all the times he had made her laugh, made her smile, and, as of late, made her cry, the reason behind all of it left her blushing. Unfortunately for her, Ash was not only the one she had grown to desire, he was quite possibly the most frustrating boy she had ever met._

_"Are you still listening, dear?" Rose asked. "You seem troubled."_

_Lillian turned back to Rose, who had done her a great service in being in the area. Ash had nearly caught up to her near the shipping bin when Rose had happened upon the two and launched into a great discussion about a fond memory she shared with Rutger that sent Ash skulking back to his farm. Despite having heard the story of Rutger's proposal a good forty or fifty times, Lillian smiled politely throughout it because it was the least she could do – not to mention it gave her plenty of time to consider what she would actually say the next time Ash forced his way into her audience._

_ "I am listening, sorry. I'm just…" Lillian drifted off, letting loose a great sigh that held all of her troubles and worries. "I suppose I am just feeling down lately."_

_Rose smiled – a knowing smile most woman wear when they see a young girl sighing over love. "Now, this doesn't happen to be about one of those boys, does it? Because I know you're very close with both Ash and Cam…"_

_"Oh, Ash is infuriating! It's not about him in the least. He drives me crazy," Lillian grumbled, shaking her head. "Cam is just a friend. I used to like him but…gosh, that seems like ages ago."_

_ "But didn't you go on that lovely little picnic with him?" Rose asked, furrowing her brow. Her own proposal was forgotten – that story was so _old_ and this story so fresh and exciting. "Rutger and I thought perhaps you two took it as a date."_

_A frown darkened Lillian's face at these words. "I thought that maybe…maybe it could be considered a date too. But when I was forced to really think about it, I realized it would only count as a date if I went into it wanting one. Hanging out with Cam was nice. I'm glad we got to spend some time together. But really, I don't care about him in that way anymore. He's been a good friend to me, and nothing more. It couldn't have been a date because I simply didn't want it to be…no matter how date-like it was."_

_Rose sensed that this was something the girl had deliberated on enough already and didn't want to discuss any further. Besides, something was more impending to her at the moment. "So…what about Ash? You say he drives you crazy…you know, when Rutger and I were young, he used to tease me nonstop. I never had any idea what was going on in that boy's head! But now we're married, so I suppose you never can know what a boy is thinking, the dreadful little creatures."_

_Lillian laughed, but her hopeful mind was racing. For the first time since she had moved to Bluebell, she found she was actually curious about Rose and Rutger's relationship. "Well…that's…how did he finally tell you he liked you, after all that?"_

_ "Oh, he was dreadful with words, that boy. So he gave me a bouquet of flowers, knowing that I was very interested in them and knew the meaning of all types. The kind he gave me told me right away…red carnations. Regular red carnations stand for admiration, but the carnations he gave me were a _deep,_deep shade of red…and that was how I knew he loved me. They call carnations the 'flower of love,' you know, and deep red carnations represent true love and intense affection for another person. His feelings had finally reached me, so I picked one of the flowers from the bouquet and handed it right back. We've been together ever since."_

_The woman smiled at the younger girl, but the smile dripped off at the shock that registered on Lillian's face. The farmer got to her feet and then sat back down on the bench, not sure what she had been intending to do. Somewhere in her house, far off in the corner of her shelves, was the deceased carcass of what was once a beautiful bouquet of dark red carnations – courtesy of Cam, the incredibly knowledgeable florist who would not have given the flowers and emphasized the meaning without knowing what they truly stood for. Of all the people on the island, only he would know better than Rose what a flower signified._

_ So Ash was telling the truth. I really couldn't have known what Cam was thinking all this time, Lillian realized. The knowledge was a heavy weight in her heart. For a moment she entertained the idea of rushing up to Cam and expressing lingering feelings for him and telling him that she knew that he must love her to. She would throw her arms around his neck and let him spin her all around, and then they would share the kiss she had dreamed of over a year ago._

_ And then, just as quickly as they had come, the thoughts faded away. Somewhere along the line, that dream had been altered, and its subject shifted from the handsome, aloof florist to the teasing, playful rancher who had dared to stand in the rain with her as she sobbed. Flowers did not change a thing. Cam had told her that he admired her, and nothing more. That admiration was what he wanted to convey, and he had. Lillian admired him too, but could not say she retained those feelings of love. She was able to admit that her painful, lurking affection for Cam had finally scampered off. Ash had done just what he had promised to do – heal her broken heart. Unfortunately, he had gone and ruined his hard work by breaking it all over again._

_"That's wonderful, but I don't think it'll work in my case. Ash is hopeless. He wouldn't know the first thing about the meaning of flowers," Lillian answered, a smile on her face. "Plus, he doesn't share my feelings. He told me quite frankly."_

_Rose didn't even have time to express her feelings in regard to Lillian's sudden admittance of her feelings. The farmer promptly rose to her feet, thanked the elderly woman for the lovely talk, and walked back to her house. As she passed by the impressive flower beds she knew Cam helped tend to, she let herself smile. If Cam wanted to act normally around her, then she would act normally around him, and when she had finished nursing her broken heart, she would act normally around Ash too. They had been such good friends to her that letting a silly thing such as love destroy those bonds seemed ridiculous._

* * *

They stared at each other at first and then took to watching the stars instead. Ash's bravery had faded away the moment he stepped outside and saw her up close, and Lillian was still struggling to gather her wits about her. Being confessed to in the midst of a party in front of the entire town could do that to a girl.

The summer heat was a comfort that allowed them to sit beside each other on the fence they had leaned over to chat a million times as though it were second nature. With their shoulders touching, they glanced at each other and exchanged a tentative smile. To nobody's surprise, Ash was the one who finally broke the silence.

"Cam is in love with you," he blurted out. "And if you have an ounce of affection left for him, now is a good time to go in and share that."

Lillian glanced at her companion, who was shaking despite the obviously uncomfortable warmth about them. His eyes were scanning hers for any sign of excitement at this. He had obviously expected his words to carry an immense weight, but they did not. The farmer allowed her face to relax into a gentle smile and said, "I know. But I think it's best if I don't let him know that I've found out. I would only be telling him to let him down, and I don't have that in me."

Ash looked as though she had just told him she had flown down from another planet. His eyebrows had risen higher than ever and he exclaimed, "Well, if he didn't confess to you, then how on earth did you find out? I didn't even know for sure Cam loved you half the time, I just sort of bluffed and hoped I was on the right track!"

Lillian grinned at him reluctantly. She wanted to hold onto her anger and yell at him now that they were alone, but it was hard to be mad at someone when you simultaneously wanted to pull them into a never-ending embrace. "He gave me a bouquet of flowers that you only give to someone you're in love with, and you know Cam knows _everything _about flowers. It's pretty unlikely he made some kind of mistake. But…I don't love Cam the way I did when you found me crying in the rain last year. He's been really nice to me and getting to know him all over again has been great, but we just…I just don't love him anymore. Not as anything more than a good friend."

The silence that grew from this statement was much worse than before. Every second that ticked by was another second that left Lillian wondering if Ash was even going to tell her in clear, undeniable words that he was in love with her. Cam had told her, Ash himself had heavily implied it just now before the town, and yet he refused to announce it in its plainest words. _What if he doesn't want to hurt Cam?_ She fretted. _That would make sense. They're best friends, of course they wouldn't let something like me get in the way of that. If he rejects me right now, after all of this…_

She chanced a look at the boy only to see that he was smiling at her. Leaning closer, he asked, "So, would you be willing to say my constant pressing helped you get over Cam?"

"Your arrogance isn't your strongest point, you know."

He just grinned even wider. "I'm sorry. It's just…I spent a lot of time trying to convince you to fall out of love with Cam. I almost begged. It's amazing how spending two weeks or so away from you – leaving at a point where you're not sure if you just went on a date with him and returning to you having absolutely no feelings for him – can change things. Maybe I should have left you to your own devices sooner."

It was hard to tell whether or not he was teasing, but Lillian decided to take him seriously just this once. She owed it to him, after all, to murmur, "Ash…thank you. It's because of you I was able to move on from that whole mess. Back then, I really thought it was the end of the world. I didn't know how I was going to continue living in Bluebell when I felt so humiliated. You were the only person who made me feel any better. It wasn't the time apart that made me realize I didn't have feelings for Cam. It's just that…that day, when I left, I realized I didn't _want _to ask Cam whether or not he considered it a date. To think that it was a date had me flustered, but…I didn't want it to be. I never asked Cam if that's what he considered it, because _I_ know that it wasn't."

Her violet eyes rose to his upturned lips and then to his own gleaming pools of green. The fear that he wouldn't return her solemnity evaporated as his hand gently took hers. "You're welcome, Lil. And I'm sorry. I was really unfair to you that day because before you went on your picnic you came to me so worried about how Cam was doing and then you come to me wondering whether or not you went on a date with him…I thought that even though I had tried so hard to change how you felt, I hadn't made the slightest difference. I couldn't stand thinking that, so I lied to you. I promised I never would, but I couldn't help it."

"Forget about it," Lillian murmured. Her cheeks were burning. "You and Cam…you two are really close. I was worried about your friendship. I never, ever wanted to be the reason you two stopped caring about each other. I _still _don't want to be that reason. I know you two-"

The rest of her sentence died out as Ash covered her mouth, laughing and shaking his head. "When it comes to my friendship with Cam, I don't want you to worry. Cam set this entire moment up, you know. I see that now. As for the implications of anything you say or I say or he said on our friendship…_you_forget about it. Him and I…we're inseparable. There's absolutely nothing that can tear our friendship apart. It just took us a little while to figure that out, that's all."

He moved his hand from her mouth but left it on her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. Lillian felt a smile work its way to her lips and glanced shyly at him. "Then…everything you said…just now, and up there, and…and all the time we spent together…you…?"

"I what?" Ash asked, innocence thick in his voice.

Lillian's smile dripped off and she rolled her eyes, swinging her hand forward. He caught it, grinning as he put it to his heart. "Do you mean that I love you? I know I haven't said it directly yet, but I must have said it indirectly a million times. When I tried to win the fishing competition with you so we could go on a picnic together and then threw the match because I thought that's what you wanted, when I invited you to my birthday party and embarrassed myself with my jealousy, when I pulled you into the water with me at the river, when I showed up at your house constantly for any random reason, when I walked through the pouring rain to hold an umbrella over your head while you cried for someone else…maybe you didn't hear it at the time, but I was always saying I love you. I _am _always saying I love you. It's you that's been the mystery all along."

Ash was no longer smiling, but the expression on his face was not unkind. For the first time ever, he looked _scared_. "You already know I like you," Lillian replied. "You have to know by now. Why else would I be so upset about you saying you didn't like me?"

"Maybe I know that you _like _me," Ash whispered, his voice hoarse and nervous. "But I don't know if you _love_me. If you don't…that's okay. I'll keep at it until you can say you do or you tell me to leave you alone. But if you do love me…well, then I don't know what happens after that. I'd like for you to tell me, though."

Lillian heard his breath catch as she leaned forward, staring intently at him. A sudden panic gripped her as the words fought their way to the surface. Was this how he had felt, or was this how he had always felt? He was leaning closer as well, eagerly awaiting her words. When she finally gathered her courage to speak, however, she felt his lips press firmly against her own. She lurched back, staring at him in shock.

"I haven't said anything yet!"

"I know, you were taking for_ever_," Ash replied rather calmly. A smug expression lingered on his face however, which made Lillian narrow her eyes. He quickly amended his statement, tacking on a hasty, "And you looked so lovely?"

Lillian rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but laugh – and once she had started, it was hard to stop. She had been so caught up in her anger that he had interrupted her confession she hadn't even enjoyed her first kiss with him, and that struck her as rather hilarious - just leave it up to Ash to turn such a serious moment into such a laughable memory. Ash just grinned, looking like he wanted nothing more than to listen to her be happy for a little while longer. When she had gotten it out of her system, she turned to him and said with a lingering smile, "Ash, I really am in love with you. I thought I would never get used to your antics and your constant teasing, but now I can't imagine not having you next to me, making me laugh at every step. I need the fun and the happiness and the nonstop laughter that you bring. I _want _it."

If she had any more words to say, they were lost in the sudden embrace Ash swept her up into as he pulled her from the fence and spun her around. His arms were latched around her, holding her so tightly to him that for a moment neither could breathe. Their faces were red with laughter and embarrassment when they finally pulled back, fingers locked together. Lillian couldn't remember when they had started holding hands, but decided that was the best part of being with Ash. Everything came naturally.

"Are you saying I can now go up to Cam and tell him that we're together without being a liar?" Ash asked, his voice rising with excitement.

"Sorry, seems I ruined that surprise." Lillian and Ash both spun towards the door to the small farmhouse, watching Cam close the door behind him. For a moment he stared at the pair, his expression cold – and then, like winter melting to spring, a smile blossomed on his face and he held his hand out to his friend. "Congratulations."

Ash grinned and lurched forward, pulling the florist into a hug instead. "Thanks, Cam."

Cam grinned, glancing at Lillian over Ash's shoulder. She smiled and inclined her head towards him, and he decided he could do the same. Getting your heart broken was the hard part, he told himself. Now it was just time for the uphill climb towards a life that would hopefully lead him to a new love – one where he and the girl he met could laugh about the most ridiculous things and bicker until the sun had fallen from the sky, all while knowing there was nobody in the entire world who understood the other more than them. Cam hoped that one day, no matter how long it took, he found someone who suited him as much as Lillian suited Ash.

Rose and Rutger sat at their table near the window, watching the scene with thoughtful smiles. "I didn't expect this at all when she first moved here," Rutger told his wife.

"That Lillian and Ash would fall for each other?"

"No," the man replied, chuckling. "That those three would become such good friends."

Rose looked out the window at the three, who had launched into a lighthearted discussion that included Cam and Lillian rolling their eyes at each other and Ash teasingly shoving both to the side. "You're right, dear. I have a feeling those three will stay friends for a long, long time."


	9. Epilogue

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: I hope you all enjoyed seeing Ash and Lillian finally fess up in regards to their feelings for one another, and I'm terribly sorry for those of you who were hoping she would end up with Cam. Trust me, I adore these characters too much to let go of them this easily – there will be plenty more stories involving them, including some in which Cam will likely be the victor. :P I am incredibly humbled at the thought that so many people have read this story – the views, review numbers, followers, etc is fantastic and so greatly appreciated. I hope I haven't disappointed you at all in this story! If you have any questions at all, feel free to message me and I'll answer promptly. I'm also going to make sure I respond to every review I can now that I have completed this. (: With that said, here's the epilogue that I hope reveals a bit more about life in Bluebell post-Jessica's birthday (because obviously that was the highlight of last chapter!). :P  
_

* * *

"_My hands were not ferrous when they met you, the waters of another sea went through them as through a net; now water and stones sustain seeds and secrets."_

_Rain (Rapa Nui) – Pablo Neruda_

* * *

_ Nothing ever happened in the city._

_ Lillian was eighteen when she decided she had had enough of the monotony of cars, skyscrapers, polluted air and people too busy to stop and notice a petite girl who was made smaller by the enormous world around her. Throughout school she had dreamed of a time when she would rise and the entire city would silence itself to hear what she had to say. What happened was she was lucky if the vendor right in front of her could hear her shouts over the bustling traffic and general haste of all around her._

_ It was an ad in the paper that had attracted her to Bluebell. Her parents had been kindly supportive of the move, implying that perhaps she would fit in and make friends in Bluebell that she had been unable to make in the city. Lillian had no plans or phone calls or visits to prove them wrong – it seemed all of her so-called friends had evaporated at the end of high school to move onto bigger and better things. She took her parents' advice to give life a try and began to pack her bags. "Who knows?" her mother told her, smiling and refraining from crying as she watched her daughter put away eighteen years of living in the same room. "It could be the best decision of your life. When life demands to be heard, you need to listen."_

_ Lillian could settle for having a _life_ that demanded attention rather than a voice that did the same. She murmured gentle, reluctant goodbyes to her parents and then pulled a cap atop her head and set off. The farther she moved into the distance, the fewer and fewer passengers appeared until she arrived several miles from town to find the horse and cart she had ordered waiting. So I've never even tried to use one of these before, she shrugged. Life demands to be heard, and I'm listening! She jumped bravely aboard the cart, shook the reins, and shrieked as the horse bolted._

_ Her life was already demanding attention – her crash attracted plenty of spectators, and Mayor Rutger had to lend her his arm as she stumbled towards her farm, feeling like quite the idiot. The sting alleviated, however, as she allowed her mind to wander with the appearance of her new home. She thought of all the new friends she could make, of a new love she had always desired, of parties that she could host in her very own home for everyone in town to ensure nobody ever felt as left out as she felt in the city. Standing in the doorway of her tiny abode, staring at its meager surroundings as though she had never seen something so beautiful in her life, Lillian waited for something big to happen._

_ Initially nothing happened. A couple people came by to be polite and offer up something, but Lillian didn't really get a chance to speak to anybody. She slaved over the measly patch of dirt she had to make a field and wasted plenty of money on fertilizer she didn't know how to work. The cow she owned wouldn't listen to her no matter what she did, and the sheep she had been so proud to buy liked to prance around and make her chase it about every day. Lillian had never worked so hard in her life, and despite seeing a steady income begin to roll in, she realized she wasn't having an ounce of fun. _

_ And then, one day, there was a knock on the door._

_She had already met Laney and Georgia, who only made her painfully aware of her own lack of friends. The two boys standing behind them, however, were new faces. One boy was tall and strikingly handsome, leaning against the left side of her door with a rather forced smile and his hands in his pockets. The other didn't have the same striking face, but there was an attractive warmth and gentleness to his features as he smiled at Lillian, leaning against the right side with his hands hooked on the loops of his jeans. Laney stepped forward, pointing at each boy as she said, "This is Cam. He's the town florist and runs a stand right next to me and my dad's place. This is Ash. His mother runs the store you buy animals from and he lives there as well, taking care of the animals for her. They wanted to come meet you."_

_The look the boys exchanged suggested that they had not wanted to meet her, and had instead been forced to do so. This only made Lillian's miserable time in Bluebell seem worse. "That's really kind of you, and it's very nice to meet you both, but I'm afraid I don't have time to chat. I'm sorry! It's really great to meet you though!" She inclined her head towards both of them with a polite smile, looking deep into their eyes as if saying, I'm giving you an out, so take it!_

_Laney and Georgia apologized for intruding, Lillian apologized some more for not entertaining them, and when the four had been shepherded from her home she leaned against the door and let out one dejected breath for the friends she desperately wanted that did not want her. She was preparing for another lonely night when another knock sounded at her door. She flung it open in hopes that at least Rutger had been kind enough to come give an explanation for whatever this upcoming Cooking Festival was._

_She found Ash, however – right in front of her, so close she could lean forward only an inch to kiss him. He winked teasingly and she looked around him to see Cam grinning a foot behind his friend. "What are you two doing here?" Lillian asked, stepping back with faintly red cheeks. "You really don't have to do this…"_

_"We might have given you the impression that we didn't want to be here, and we wanted to apologize for that. We're not fans of being dragged around by Laney and Georgia, but we are fans of meeting the new resident farmer. So, I'm Ash!" The boy held out his hand with a grin, and Lillian slipped her fingers into his, returning his smile nervously. He squeezed her hand for a second, offering up a far gentler smile that reassured her greatly, and then stepped aside for Cam._

_ "I'm Cam," the boy murmured politely, holding out his hand and giving hers one tender shake. His light eyes were so calm and deep Lillian felt that she was already tipping forward into them. Smiling at both of the boys now she answered, "And I'm Lillian. I…appreciate you two coming out here to meet me."_

_ "Forget about it. We know how lonely it can be, living in this town without an actual friend," Ash replied, grinning over at Cam. Lillian smiled once more as she watched the florist return the expression, noting that these two made her even more envious than Laney and Georgia. Their friendship was truly something impressive._

_ "Do you want us to show you around town?" Cam asked politely, glancing over his shoulder at the darkening sky. "It's not really complex but…it's a little confusing at first."_

_"Don't say no," Ash instructed before she could answer. "We saw your fields and your animals out there, already completely taken care of. You have no excuse. Let's get going."_

_They parted to allow her to stand between them, and Lillian hesitantly did so, glancing from one boy to the next with a grin. For the first time in years, she felt like she had friends. She listened to Ash and Cam chat aimlessly about her farm, and when Cam turned to her with a question, she allowed herself to jump into the conversation and promised that she would be the one to make something big happen – to make her life so interesting it demanded attention – and maybe these boys would help._

* * *

"Cam, do you _see _this?"

Cam rolled his eyes and turned to look at Ash, who was leaning so far over the bridge to stare more closely at the skyscrapers in the distance he had nearly toppled over it. The florist lurched forward, seizing the boy by the back of the shirt and wrenching him back. "I see it _every _Monday, Ash. It's not much to get excited over, trust me. Now let's get moving, my parents' house isn't too far off."

Ash was impossible to satiate. Everything he saw overwhelmed him and made him want to see more and more and more and more and more. When he voiced this opinion, Cam just laughed and shook his head. He was too nervous and jittery to entertain his friend as he normally would. It would only be a few more minutes until they were standing at his front door. He wasn't sure he could do it if Ash weren't the one standing beside him.

Deciding there was only one way to shut him up, he asked, "So what's Lillian up to today? Isn't she afraid you're not going to find your way back to Bluebell by yourself?"

Ash shot him a look. "Don't even say that, I never considered it. You have to draw me a map or something."

"I'll print it out."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Ash grinned and slipped his hands into his pockets, head swiveling about to take in all the sights they passed by. "As for what she's doing…well…it sounds far-fetched, but I'm not making this up."

"What is it?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow. The usual pain that infiltrated his system when they spoke of the girl was slowly fading away. Soon he would be able to think about her without any hint of desire, and that brought a smile to his face. He truly felt like an adult now, returning to his home with such knowledge of friendship and love and family. Plus, seeing Ash smiling so much at the mention of her beside him and seeing her flit around the town in high spirits was reason enough to put away his feelings permanently.

"She's helping Eileen destroy the last of the barrier that makes that shortcut to Konohana impassable. According to her this fight is 'pointless and needs to stop!' Georgia says she's getting 'hot under the collar' but I don't know…maybe it is about time we put aside this thing with Konohana. It's been getting better and better at the cooking festivals. Maybe by the time you return I'll have already made a new best friend from over there. Kana and I will go horse-back riding or Hiro and me will…do whatever it is Hiro does for fun."

Cam grinned, shaking his head. "Sounds just like her to take on something like that. You know…I think it's only because of her that things at the cooking festival have been getting better. Everybody else in town was so used to clinging to some stupid fight and then she comes around and spins that on its head…yeah, that sounds just like her. Don't get too close to Hiro, I'll be jealous."

Ash mirrored his friend's expression, but their laughter died out as Cam came to a stop before a very simple house – walls painted white, windows perfectly cleaned, lawn neatly trimmed. It was the same as every other house around. Cam lifted a shaking finger and pointed at the window closest to the front door. "That's my room," he murmured. "Or…_was_ my room. I don't know what they do with it now."

The room was dark, absent of the glimmering light that shone between the shades of the blinds of the next door window. Considering there were blue butterflies taped to the top of that one, Ash felt it was safe to assume it was Cam's sister – a girl he had only learned existed that morning. He grabbed onto Cam's shirt sleeve and gave a great tug, yanking the boy ahead several steps. "Well, we'll never find out if we just wait around here. Your family has been waiting a long time to see you again, so let's give them what they want."

"If this is what they want," Cam murmured under his breath. They started walking towards the front door, but before they even reached it, it flung open to reveal a lithe teenage girl with golden brown hair that hung to her waist. Her eyes were only for Cam. Ash glanced at his friend, who whispered, "Emily."

"Cam?" the girl asked. "I saw you from the window, and I thought it would be you, but…mom, dad! Cam is _here_!" She lingered at the doorway only long enough to shout those words and then ran down the concrete path towards her brother, flinging her arms around him and letting loose one sob that left Cam's mouth agape in awe. "I missed you so much. I was worried we'd never see you again."

Cam put his arms around his sister and pulled her towards him, grinning. Before he could speak, however, two more figures found their way to the door. Ash smiled as a woman who was very obviously Cam's mother – even wearing purple like him – covered her mouth and let several tears drip down her cheeks. "When you didn't write us or anything…we thought you might never come back," she managed, her voice hoarse.

"My son," Cam's father murmured, a gentle smile on his lips. "We've missed you so much."

There was no hesitation. Tears slipped down Cam's cheeks as he rushed to his parents, throwing his arms around him in a gesture Ash didn't know was possible for him. His sister clung to his shirt as though he might disappear any instant, and the apologies that flew between Cam and his parents were hard to keep straight. Cam had said nothing but, "I was an incredible disappointment to my parents. They were glad to see me go. I never bothered telling there where I ended up or how I was doing. I couldn't stand the idea of it."

It seemed the anger he had expected his parents to hold had never existed. Of all the sights he had seen – brand new incredible things such as buildings that towered high into the sky and enormous oceans with waves that could have easily engulfed him – this was by far the best Ash had encountered. He was prepared to slink away and allow the family to have their reunion in peace when Cam pulled away and said, "I came here with my best friend, Ash. Him and his girlfriend…they really take care of me in Bluebell. I wanted you to meet him."

His parents and sister turned their smiling, polite faces to him, and his mother said, "You've never introduced us to any of your friends before! You must be honored, Ash." Her voice was teasing, her grip on her son so tight he was squirming.

Ash just grinned and cocked his head to the side. "I really am."

Emily held her hand out to him and he stepped forward, giving him hers before he turned to shake Cam's father's hand, shake Cam's mother's hand, pet the dog, look at photographs, observe the room that hadn't been changed a bit since Cam had left it. "Your family is pretty great, Cam," he told him when they got a quiet moment alone as his family set to work preparing dinner for them. "I don't know what I expected…I guess not much teasing or joking or anything. I thought they'd be more serious like you."

"No, I was the only one like that in the family," Cam sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "You really think…they're happy to see me? That this is going to last?"

Ash sat beside him, glancing about the room adorned with long dead flowers and shelves that had clearly been dusted in his absence. "I think they've been waiting for you, Cam. I'd like to come back and see them again sometime."

"Bring Lillian," Cam answered. "I think Emily would like her."

The friends smiled at each other, and Ash set his hand on Cam's shoulder. "Yeah. I think Lillian will like her too."

* * *

"Stop pacing, you're making me nervous!" Lillian exclaimed, grabbing Ash's hand and yanking him beside her. They had been waiting at the edge of the mountains for Cam's arrival for two hours, and Ash had begun to get nervous long before that. "He sent us a letter saying he was coming, there's nothing to worry about."

"What if he decides not to come back?" Ash fretted.

Lillian smiled at him – an affectionate expression that added a touch of tenderness to her eyes. She slipped her hand into Ash's, giving it a squeeze. "He'll come back. As if anything could separate you two. Besides, he promised Cheryl he'd bring back presents, and he knows she'll track him down if he doesn't."

Ash let loose a laugh reluctantly. He wanted to hold onto his concern for a moment longer, but she made it hard. Just like he had done to her, Lillian refused to allow Ash to wallow and worry needlessly. He squeezed her hand in turn and smiled back at her. "If I try to claim I'm best friends with Hiro, will you back me up on it? I'd like to mess with him a bit."

"Sure," Lillian replied, ruffling his hair with her free hand. To anyone else, this would seem affectionate, but Ash sensed the demeaning gesture somewhere in there. It only made him grin wider. He had finally met his match with this girl. He started to tell her that, but she pointed off excitedly in the distance and exclaimed, "There's Cam! He's on foot!"

They rushed over and met him, Ash nearly knocking him over with his hug. Cam staggered back and laughed, and then Lillian grinned and held her arms out to him as well. He didn't hesitate, hugging her as he had Ash. The dull pain returned, but it was so weak it merely stung for an instant. He was too happy to see them standing beside each other to bother with his jealousy any longer. He had missed them terribly, and wanted to express it. Before he could, however, Ash said, "Well, it's been nice, but I've got to go. Me and Hiro have plans."

Cam's jaw fell open, but then Lillian smiled sweetly and said, "He's actually making all of this up because he doesn't want you to know we've been waiting here for two hours."

"I don't like you at all."

"Oh, was I supposed to keep that a secret?" Lillian asked, tilting her head thoughtfully to the side. "What a mistake! I'm so sorry, love."

Cam watched with amusement as Ash struggled to maintain an angry expression before giving up and throwing his arm around her, pulling her close. "Okay, so I was waiting here for you. Did you bring me back a present?"

"No, but I did bring something for Lillian," Cam grinned, turning to his bag. Ash threw his hands up into the air, and the trio laughed as Cam pulled out a flower, holding it out to her.

Lillian stared at it for a moment and then smiled at him, murmuring, "Middlemist red, right?"

"Right. I told you they suspect it's actually growing in people's yards and, well, I was lucky enough to find this one. I've been taking the best care of it possible to make sure it was still alive for me to show you today. I had to prove I actually knew what I was talking about when it came to flowers, you know," he tacked on playfully.

She grinned and put the flower towards her heart. "Of course. Thank you, Cam." She pulled him once more into a hug and then turned to Ash, who was watching with a small smile. He smiled at Cam, who rolled his eyes and pulled out a present. "Here, here. Stop staring at me like that. Of course I got you something."

"Look, Lil, he wrapped it – that means he likes me more than you."

"This is one of the rarest flowers in the world, Ash. I'm pretty sure it's proof Cam likes me more."

"Cam, tell her you like me better than her before she starts getting completely delusional."

Cam paused thoughtfully behind the boy, glancing over his shoulder. "Actually, I've grown to really appreciate Hiro over the past few-"

"Shut up," Ash interrupted, a grin on his face as he slipped the present into his bag and threw his arms over the florist and the farmer's shoulders. "Let's go tell Laney and Georgia all about how we're better friends than they are."

Cam and Lillian shared a smile and then said together, "Whatever you say, Ash."

"Don't do that, it's creepy."

* * *

It was the third year of Lillian's arrival in Bluebell, and spring was in full force. Flowers were blooming all around, the sky was cloudy and bright, and everyone in town was giddy. Though that could be attributed more to the excitement of the impending wedding, Cam had to admit.

"I'm freaking out," Ash noted as they waited for Lillian, Cam standing beside him in his own tux. The residents of Bluebell continued to peer hopefully over their shoulders, waiting for Lillian to march down the aisle with Cheryl right behind her. "Seriously, Cam. I'm freaking out."

Cam sighed, shaking his head. "You've been freaking out ever since you proposed. Now is not a good time. Can't this wait until later?"

"You're the worst best man I've ever had," Ash mumbled, leaning about to try and see if he could find Lillian's petite form perched somewhere behind the bushes obscuring the mountain top from the path.

"That's not polite at all. I even brought my entire family along to see your wedding. I hand picked the flowers for decoration _and _her bouquet. I'm fairly certain I'm the _best _best man you've ever had."

Ash grinned, glancing over at his friend. "Maybe. I'm fairly certain you're the best best _friend_I've ever had, Cam. Thanks for all this. There's nobody else who could help me prepare for everything."

Cam hesitated and then pulled his friend into a hug, which shocked both Ash and the crowd, who couldn't recall seeing Cam initiate a gesture of affection ever before. "You don't have to thank me," he laughed, rolling his eyes at Ash's bewilderment. "It's what friends do. Now, try to look sharp so Lillian doesn't regret this whole situation. I could still have a chance even after all this time."

Ash made a face, but laughed. "Or you could settle down with Laney, who has been hopelessly falling for you throughout fall and winter."

Cam glanced over at Laney, who was watching him with a smidgen of hope, but his eyes drifted quickly to Lillian, who had come to stand in the entrance with flushed cheeks and shaking hands. The bouquet she held was made of deep red carnations. When he had begun to explain to her what they meant, she had interrupted him and murmured in a gentle voice that she already knew. _So I never really had a chance all along,_ Cam wondered to himself, smiling at the beauty that radiated from her. _I wouldn't have it any other way._

Lillian had no eyes for him – only for Ash, who it appeared she couldn't reach fast enough. Ash had stopped shaking, his nervous expression relaxing into a smile. When she was close enough to touch, he didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug. She smiled, burying her face in his shoulder for a moment. When she pulled back, she turned her expression of bliss to Cam, who grinned back at her.

_This could have been our wedding_, he told her in that moment. _We could have had this, if I hadn't been afraid back then._

But Lillian just continued to smile and turned away, and he knew that what she had not said was right. _I still would have married Ash. We weren't meant to be together._

He looked over at his friend, who had never looked so happy in his entire life. _Yeah. I'm glad,_ he decided, pulling the ring from his pocket and tossing it to his friend, who smiled at him for a moment before turning back to his wife-to-be. Cam couldn't be sure if it was Laney he was going to fall for, or some girl in the city when he was visiting his family, or any random person who happened to cross his path. All he could be sure of was that when the time came, his two best friends would do everything it took to make sure he was happy – because they knew he had done the same for them.

Ash and Lillian leaned forward, their lips brushing against each others gently and then with added passion. Their bodies pressed together as they fell into each other, immersed in joy and surrounded by screams of happiness from Bluebell residents who had waited to see this couple finally join together for far too long. The pair might not have heard a single word of the cheering, however. Their thoughts were only for the other. For all their time spent waiting, they could finally say that something big had happened.


End file.
